Unlikely Missions
by robbiepoo2341
Summary: Robin and Raven are captured by none other than Red X himself. This throws everything into chaos and on top of it all, the two of them are starting to discover new feelings. Warning:RS, BBR, AND mostlyRR shipping. I like to explore different aspects.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Teen Titans.

I had this idea while on Thanksgiving Break, it just took me a while to get it up.

Chapter 1

The sun had risen long ago, but he was still lying down. Normally, he would be awake before sunrise so that he could see the wondrous scenery, but something had happened to prevent him from going anywhere. Unbeknownst to him and his friends, there had been a breakin at the tower. All he knew was that when he had entered his room, his head hurt and then everything went black.

He was still unconscious, lying on the cold, stone floor of some room. The room was a complete block, no way out. There was a single window about the size of his head through which he could peek, but he hadn't quite gotten up yet, so that was wasted. This room had no air conditioning, and already his black hair was plastered to his head in sweat as he lay there. His masked eyes were closed, but his face told how uncomfotrable he was.

He stirred and moaned, looking around to take everything in for a moment. His cape was glued to his sides as well and he unconsciously squirmed at this uncomfortable position. Rising, he whipped his head around, wondering where in the world he was. Spotting the window, he pushed himself up off the ground to look through it.

On the other side of the window was a girl about his age. No, she was not a new face either, he realized when he saw the familiar blue cloak that was stretched out behind the girl's head. Her purple hair was also glistening, though her face was a mask of calm, as it always was. Since her eyes were closed, the boy couldn't see those deep pools of violet that he saw every day. The black leotard was also a dead giveaway, with the golden belt hanging loosely at her side and her dark blue boots that ascended up just above her ankles.

He didn't have to wait long for her to wake up. Soon, he saw her rising from the floor with a deep scowl as she took everything in. He noted with dismay that there was no window on her side, so the others were not here. Fine, he could deal with that. All they needed to do was escape and they could forget this ever happened. He smiled slightly, realizing that he didn't know the time. For all he knew, they didn't even know that the two of them were gone yet.

Reaching into one of the pockets of his belt, he pulled out a birdarang. With precise aim, he threw it directly at a crack in the wall, but it never made it there. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, he picked up the fallen gadget and studied it for a moment. Was it defective? He tried another one. The same thing happened. Fine. He'd just have to see for himself what was going on. Pulling his arm back, he threw a mighty punch towards the inch-wide crack, thinking that maybe he could widen it himself. Before his hand ever reached the wall, though, a sudden electrical shock sent him flying backwards.

Scowling, he rubbed his shoulder, trying to relieve it of the pain when he heard her voice say, "I wouldn't try that if I were you." He knew who it was without turning around for two reasons. One, there was no one else here that he knew of, and two, the voice was sarcastic and witty, as it always was, and easy to recognize.

Turning, he saw that she had phased through the wall and was now standing beside him. "All right. I don't see you trying to find a way out of here," he retorted.

She rolled her eyes and replied, "You don't think I already tried? I can't get through the barriers, not even as my soul self. We're stuck here. Whoever built this place sure knows how to keep us in." As she spoke, she allowed her tone of voice a little bit more emotion. Ever since her encounter with her father, she was slowly coming out of her shell, for she could feel more often now.

He shook his head, unbelieving. "There's always a way out of everything."

She blew out her breath in frustration, obviously a bit annoyed at his persistance and optimism. "No, there's not. You can't hope for something that's not there. I'd say our best bet is to wait and see if our captor will reveal himself or not. You never know."

Running a hand through his soaked hair, he leaned against the wall she had just phased through. It seemed to be the only wall without any barriers on it. "So you're saying we should just sit here and do nothing?"

Her eyes flashed for a moment, but they returned to normal. She was quite skilled at masking her emotions, even more so than he was. "No, I'm saying that we should take our only other option. If you really have to do something, why don't you try punching through the wall again? I'm sure that could keep you busy for hours on end, unless you kill yourself first."

Glowering, he sank down to the floor and leaned back farther, saying, "I get it. It's just that, well, I don't like not knowing what's going on or who I'm up against."

She sat down beside him. "Relax. I'm sure this'll all make sense... Sooner or later."

Just then, the two of them heard footsteps approaching from an unknown hallway. Not knowing who, what, or where the sounds came from, the two of them stood up, both assuming fighting positions as the person came closer.

A familiar voice called out to them, "Great. You're awake. I thought for sure you'd be out for at least a few more hours. Guess I didn't hit you hard enough."

His eyes widened in recognition. He didn't expect HIM to be behind this, of all people. Slade, maybe, but not HIM. Curiosity got the best of his mind, but he chose not to show it. Instead, he leaned back against the wall once more and crossed his arms, a look of anger crossing his face. "What do you want? Why'd you kidnap us? I thought you weren't into the big villain world."

A chuckle eminated from the wall beside him and a secret door opened, bringing with it a dark figure. Her eyes widened as well when she figured out who this was. "Um...?"

The caped figure laughed even harder, his voice distorted by a device in his mask. The platform finally stopped and he turned to face the two heroes. Red X.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline.

Okay, lucky for you guys I had chapter two ready with just a few edits to make, so now it's up!

Chapter 2

Curiosity really was a crime in this case, for it kept holding the two of them back from pouncing on the figure standing before them. He repeated his question. "What do you want?" It wasn't really a question anymore. It didn't seem to be getting an answer, anway. Now it was almost a plea.

"Well, kid, believe it or not, I need some backup."

Her eyes opened in surprise, though his did not. He figured it would be something like that. X wasn't the big criminal type; he had said so himself. The question now was why Red X had enlisted the two of them and who he needed help with. It had to be a problem with a person; X knew better than to try to get them to help with any other problem.

"With what?" He turned. She had voiced the exact question he had just been thinking. They really were getting to be good friends if they could do that; voicing each other's thoughts. She said it with a harsher tone than he would have, though. Obviously her curiosity hadn't quite gotten to her yet. Besides, she didn't know X as well as he did and therefore wouldn't act the same. To him, X wasn't a hero, but he wasn't a threat either. To her, he was just another criminal. Then again, she didn't think highly of anybody.

Red X chuckled. "She's a gem, kid. Keep her." He turned towards Robin. "Actually, I wasn't planning on taking her too, but she kind of came to call when I was in the middle of my work." He was referring to when he had just knocked the Boy Wonder out. She had knocked on the door and called the boy's name. He had had no other choice but to make sure that she couldn't tell the others, since the last thing he needed was somebody else after him. So, now she was here with the kid and causing a bit more trouble then he had anticipated. He had been forced to wire another room.

Her eyes widened as she realised what had happened. So now it was her fault for wanting to tell him that he had left one of his birdarangs on the sofa and that Beast Boy had accidentally sat on it? She made a mental note not to bother with that anymore. Robin apparently had too many contacts in the world of villains. Truthfully, she sometimes wondered what side the boy was on, but then again, she thought that about herself as well.

"Great. So what did you need me for anyway?" he asked, wishing the X would cut the small talk and just get to the point like he did. They weren't the same people, though, which was both a bad thing and a good thing. A good thing in that, well, Robin wasn't a criminal, and a bad thing in that this new Red X was hard to make any conclusions about.

"Cool it, kid. I'm getting there. Look, I need some help with these people that keep following me. I don't know who they are, but they keep trying to enlist me in some weird school of villainy. I already tried telling them that I don't play the big bad villain, but these people won't take a hint. Lately, they've resorted to violence. They keep threatening me now and it's getting annoying."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that all? I'd think you could handle yourselve against some petty threat like that." He knew there was more to the story.

"Look, I just need some protection, okay kid? If you've got to know, that leader of theirs is nasty. I almost didn't survive our last encounter. He's got these weird glowing eyes and he looks like that robot of yours. You sure you've got all your teammates under control?" Red X replied, taunting the Boy Wonder.

"You're dealing with Brother Blood?" he asked, mostly for himself to hear and also for X to hear the name.

"Isn't that normally Cyborg's field of work?" Raven snickered quietly in his ear and he couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, if that's the guy's name. Look, are you gonna help me or not? Because if you're not, I'm sure I can find somewhere to dump you," Red X interjected.

"We'll think about it." He spoke cooly, not wanting to give away any emotions.

"Suit yourself, kid." With that, the secret door closed and a flicker of light told them that the barriers were back up.

"What do you think?" he asked, turning to her. He wouldn't make a decision without her, though he would chose his own way in the end.

"I don't know if we should trust him or not. Remember, we're still not sure if he's good or not," she replied with her normal monotone, though her eyes gave away her thoughts. He knew that she wanted to know more.

"So it comes down to is he good enough to save? Come on, Raven, you and I both know that we're obligated to help people. I wasn't aware that we got to pick and choose who to save. When did that happen?" he could be sarcastic too, watch him.

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just wondering whether it's our place to choose sides on this," she said, frowning at him.

"So you're not sure if we should choose whether or not he gets thrashed? Makes sense to me." He backed off at the looks of fury he was getting and added, "Truthfully, I was wondering the same thing. If we take his side, we'll be siding with a theif, but if we don't take his side, we could be sending him to his grave. Brother Blood has been getting more and more ferocious lately."

"What about the others? Shouldn't we let them know where we are?"

He sighed. "We don't even know what time it is. Besides, I'm sure that X made sure that we couldn't radio anyone."

Rolling her eyes in response, she said, "You have an answer for everything, don't you? Fine, we'll help him, but I still won't give him any more trust than I would any other criminal."

That was the answer he wanted to hear. "All right, then. We'll try to take care of this quickly. When we get back, I'll even make you a pot of herbal tea, okay?"

She laughed half-heartedly at his feeble attempt at humor. "I'll hold you to that promise, Robin."

He laughed too, but it was a distant laugh. He was already lost in thought. There was more to this story, and he was going to find out. Even if it meant siding with a criminal for the time being. He shuddered at the thought. He had sworn off being on the other side of the law, yet here he was again. This was turning out to be a hard habit to break.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

While this chapter focuses mostly on thoughts and feelings, I promise it picks up later. I'm working on editing chapter 4. Maybe it'll be up tomorrow. I had fun on my computer yesterday. ; )

Chapter 3

The two of them silently followed their captor, neither knowing what was coming next and each trying to think through what was going on carefully, wondering what in the world was going on that would cause Red X to kidnap them in the first place. Probably the most dominant of questions running through the two teen's minds was why the self-centered theif had only taken the two of them and nobody else. While these thoughts were swirling around in their already overwhelmed minds, they were also trying to figure out _where _they were, for goodness sakes! Everything was cement and there seemed to be no fresh air whatsoever. As unenjoyable as they suspected the mission would be anyways, this sure wasn't a good first impression.

They soon entered a room, though, that was the source of the cool air that they had felt earlier, and boy was it something! Both Titans' raised their eyebrows in surprise. For someone who professed to "only be looking out for number one" he sure was living pretty well, with televisions and computers everywhere. Doubtless he had lifted them from somwhere while they were busy with other, more "world-domination" type villains. Still, they weren't going to argue when their captor offered them use of her showers, for they were soaked in sweat and thus quite uncomfortable.

Raven made use of the facilities first, at the request of her teammate, of course, for his sense of chivalry would not allow a lady to be uncomfortable while he took advantage of such things. Besides, he wanted to talk to Red X alone, for he had a feeling that he would be able to get more information in such a way, anyway. Waiting until he could hear the water running in the other room, he confronted the person now wearing the very suit that he had created not too long ago. "What's going on that's so bad that you can't handle yourself?"

The theif turned too talk to the boy face-to-face, or in this case, mask-to-mask. Though no expressions of emotion escaped the mask, X's posture and body language told the Boy Wonder that this was no laughing matter. "Kid, you of all people know how dangerous xinothium is; do I really have to say more? As much as I hate to admit it, that doofus has potential to become a great enemy to you and your team, even if he doesn't yet have the smarts."

There was no point in arguing with that statement, for it was altogether too true. Truthfully, in one of their more recent encounters with the "doctor", he had felt the effects of that suit- the painful effects, that is. Were it not for one of their newer friends, Kole, he would likely not have made it. With xinothium powering a suit with that much power, it could prove to be an even bigger threat than, say, Brother Blood! (Not Slade, of course, that man was always going to be at the _top _of his list.) "I won't argue with you there, but why only the two of us?"

The annoyance was evident in Red X's voice as he answered. Doubtless he preferred not to talk, another similarity between the two of them, but Robin wanted answers and it was apparent that the boy would not stop until he got them. "Look, I wasn't planning on taking that chick over there. After you were out cold, I was about to get out of there, but she knocked on the door. Said something about that green kid playing with your toys again, don't quite recall. Anyway, I didn't need anyone else after me, and seeing as you weren't in any position to answer the door and keep her off my scent, I took her with me. Besides, there's no harm in a little extra help, is there?"

Robin nodded to acknowledge the question, though his own were still rampaging through his head, and he wanted to voice them before his colleage returned from the showers. "Makes sense. Why'd you kidnap us, though, I wonder? We would have helped you anyway." Well, maybe he wasn't being too truthful there, for they might not have been so willing to listen had they the choice not to.

"I think you probably know the answer to that. You and your code of honor about not dealing with criminals? I didn't expect you to listen of your own free will, do you think you would have?" he said, voicing Robin's very thoughts. _Sometimes_, he thought, this guy is too much like myself. _It's almost surreal, almost like I'm talking to myself. Almost._

He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was distracted when Raven walked down the hallway, her leotard clean once more and her cloak draped over one arm and she squeezed water out of her dripping hair. "Your turn," she said, motioning him through the doorway. Reluctantly, he obliged, at least he would be clean now, though he wished he could have gotten more information.

Raven was no worse than Robin, pelting X with question as soon as Robin could no longer overhear anything. The first to roll off her tongue was one that, surprisingly, Robin had not asked, "What did Doctor Light do to you that made you so anxious for help?"

_Nothing like the other one, is she? Right to the point, she is. Wonderful, I've got two of them on my hands_, he thought to himself before he answered. "That's classified information, girly." Truthfully, he just didn't feel like talking to the girl right then.

"First of all, don't call me girly. Second of all, if I'm going to help you, you're going to share any information that you have. We'll need it," she answered, her eyes lighting up in black energy as she spoke, leaving him a bit unnerved for a moment, though you could never tell through that mask.

"Fine. Most of the time, he just stalked me, but then when he took my xinothium, he started regular attacks on my old place. Why do you think the entire outside is concrete of my newest home? I don't enjoy the heat, thanks, but it keeps my enemies out and my _guests _in. Let's just leave it at I had a few close scrapes and I'm lucky to still be here, alright?" he replied, his tone a bit edgey.

_It's so hard to deal with this guy. He's too much like the old Red X, Robin. Neither likes to talk about any losses they've had. Maybe I'm imagining all these connections, but it's still getting hard to deal with. _"Alright."

Robin emerged not too long after, his hair back up in those trademark spikes and his towel draped over his shoulder, its colors contrasting brightly against the black colouring of the cape. He cooly set it down and looked at the two of them. "Well, are we going to go after him or not?" Always business and never please, he was. Sometimes it bothered her, that side of him, but she had learned to live with him.

"Of course. Why don't you lead us out?" X replied, no doubt smirking behind the mask.

The two of them walked out first and into the bright sunlight. And there was Doctor Light, waiting in ambush for who had thought would have been Red X.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nadda. Noodles. Nothing. Zilch. But the storyline, that's mine.

Did I say that it had to be shipping? Wait patiently, my friends. It will come soon enough. You'd be amazed what a love triangle this starts.

Chapter 4

That was it. Doctor Light attacked before they even saw it. Robin, being the closest, was hit square on with a bolt of yellow light, sparkling with red specks of xinothium. He was knocked backwards and into a wall. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, then assumed a fighting position even as Raven joined him on the wall, followed by Red X.

"The xinothium has given his suit a major power up. We could be taking some pretty hard hits here. Ready?" he nodded towards Raven, who nodded back, pulling her hood over her head, her eyes lighting up with black energy as they rushed to confront Doctor Light with his newly acquired power.

Raven attacked immediately, chanting her trademark, "Azarath Metrion Zi-"

Doctor Light cut her off, though, with a harsh attack, sending her flying backwards with a small "oof" as red sparks jumped around her arms and chest area where she had been hit. She grimaced. Something as dangerous as xinothium could be quite painful when fired directly at somebody. Closing her eyes to clear her mind of the gripping pain, she reached out, her hands glowing, and levitated a nearby car, causing it to crash into their adversary.

Robin and Red X followed the attack, the former with a bo staff and the other with his red daggers. Both dived, perfectly in sync, as they attacked. Despite their harsh striking force and their combined efforts, though, the suit was only slightly scratched. They, on the other hand, were thrown full force backwards, propelled in this direction by a beam of bright light.

"You cannot possibly hope to defeat Doctor Light!" the villain yelled. Robin shook his head. This guy really needed to come up with some better lines.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" came a voice behind Doctor Light. Raven. A large, black hand reached out and grabbed him, but it suddenly recoiled. Raven's eyes stopped glowing down and she looked down at her hand, the hand that was sparkling with traces of red xinothium. "Wow, that actually hurt!" she whispered to herself, though it was just loud enough for the other two to hear.

Red X nodded. "You can't touch him. The xinothium is on the suit as well. Really the only way to beat him is to break down the suit, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet. For the time being, though, just try not to touch him, kay?"

Robin, apparently, wasn't listening to this conversation, for he was in midair, flying towards Doctor Light with his fist in front of him, going in for a hard punch. Though he managed to connect with the villain, the result was pain for both parties involved, Doctor Light because of the force of the strike that caused static to eminate from his suit and push him over, and Robin because the xinothium on the suit burned through his glove at the knuckles. He grimaced in pain as he looked down at his exposed fingers that were sparking in red as Raven's hands had done before.

"Hey, kid, are you deaf?" Red X asked, his voice holding as much annoyance as the voice modifier would allow.

"Sorry, what now?" Robin asked, a small, taunting smile tugging at the sides of his mouth.

Raven stifled a laugh. It really was true entertainment when the two of them went at it. She didn't allow them to distract her for too long, though, and she attacked Doctor Light, who was already back up on his feet. "Next time we beat you, stay beaten!" she yelled, her eyes glowing as she brought two building down onto the villain. Smiling, she allowed herself to take pride in her strike, but such feelings only lasted a moment, for the buildings suddenly moved apart, revealing a grinning Doctor Light standing underneath a red and yellow suit.

"You can't beat me with this new suit. You can't even touch me! But I can touch you!" With that, Raven's face was lit up even beneath her hood as a huge blast of light came up towards her, hitting her full on and sending her backwards into Robin, causing both heroes to tumble to the ground.

Wordlessly, X snuck up behind Doctor Light and planted a gadget on the villains back which emitted sparks, causing the whole suit to malfunction for a moment. If he wasn't wearing a mask, he'd probably be grinning wildly. But, the joy was short lived, for the suit suddenly lit up and the gadget was fried. Red X could see Doctor Light check his readings. Well, at least it had dropped from ninety nine percent to ninety percent.

Robin came running up while Doctor Light was looking away and planted a similar device, only this one was yellow instead of red. The effects were exactly the same, with only a nine percent decrease, but it was a start. The boys looked at each other. Robin grinned and Red X nodded back, both taking out more of these gadgets from their belts, advancing towards the dimwitted villain.

Unfortunately, Doctor Light wasn't about to be fooled the same way more than twice. He blasted the two of them with a light shield, trapping them both in the glowing yellow sphere dancing with red sparks. They were both surprised by the maneuver, and neither could get out without receiving a substantial shock.

With the two boys out of commission for the moment, Raven took over, giving it her all. "Azarath...Metrion...ZINTHOS!" she screamed, and black energy shot up around Doctor Light in a five foot wide circle, frying as many circuits as possible. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she struggled not to let in down, but she had to eventually. When she did, Doctor Light had still retained some power, enough to escape. With a quick, "I'll be back!" the villain disappeared.

She rushed over to the two trapped boys, both of which were obviously disappointed at Doctor Light's escape. She couldn't actually touch the shield, so she phased the boys through it indirectly. Robin dropped to the ground, followed by Red X. She fell beside them, red sparks practically covering her entire body. "That stuff is pretty bad!" she gasped, holding her side in pain.

Robin rushed to her side and helped her up. Wearing glum expressions, they walked back inside the concrete stronghold. Once inside, they discussed breifly what this meant.

"He's definitely going to be harder to beat than any other time we've fought him. Raven can't even touch him with her powers, since they're part of her," Robin said, half to himself.

She nodded. "Every time I use my powers, I put a bit of my soul into it. Now it's coming back to haunt me. If I touch that xinothium, it gets into my soul for a brief moment."

X nodded numbly, rubbing his arm. While encased in the sphere of light energy, he had taken several jabs at it, trying to free himself. Not a good idea. His arm was completely numb and it could be days before he could use it again.

They certainly were quite a sight: X with his arm in a sling, Raven lying in bed, and Robin with his entire chest wrapped in white bandages.

"We're not really fighting Doctor Light. We're fighting the suit. Once we break that, we can take that idiot straight to jail. And I'll have a little word with those prison guards about keeping the prison _guarded_!" Robin said, snarling the last word.

"We may already have something. What did you make those electric discs out of, kid?" Red X asked, referring to the discs that had actually damaged Doctor Light.

"Polarized matrices of high energy electrons," was the reply. Automatic, almost robotic. He knew what he was doing when he made his gadgets, and he was serious about it. Otherwise, they'd be in some serious trouble.

"Looks like we may have found something to combat the suit with," X said. Raven and Robin grinned. Maybe this mission could be shortened by a lot after all.

Meanwhile, the Titans went to respond to a distress signal sent out but a few minutes ago. They only found a scarred battlefield with upheavals of dirt and blaster marks on the rocks.

"What happened here?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg bent down and picked up a fragment of a red gadget. "Red X."

Starfire motioned the boys over. She held up half of a birdarang. "Not just Red X, but Robin as well!"

The three Titans looked at each other, each wearing bewildered looks.


	5. Chapter 5

First of, just cuz Robin and Raven are the main characters doesn't mean I have to ship 'em, but it doesn't mean I won't. You'll just have to see when I get later into the story. (wink wink)

Second of all, thanks to everyone who responded and for your patience. Homework is insane lately.

And, of course, the disclaimer is the same as always. Stupid, but neccessary.

Chapter 5

"Alright, y'all, Robin and Raven are missing and Red X obviously had something to do with it. I say we search the city and see what we can dig up," Cyborg said as he examined the broken gadgets from the two aforementioned boys.

"You do not suppose that they could be working together?" Starfire gasped a bit too loudly.

Cyborg shook his head. "Robin and Rae may be our 'treading-the-line' teammates, but I doubt that they'd push it that far. More likely Red X kidnapped them or something. I doubt that they'd help him of their own free will."

Beast Boy spoke up, "Well, maybe they were fighting somebody."

Cyborg nodded. "Maybe, but there's too much xinothium to be sure of anything. I couldn't even get a DNA trace on Robin's own birdarang. Everything's contaminated. My best guess is that Red X had a malfunction with his suit, but we can't be sure of anything."

"So there is no way of knowing what has happened?" Starfire asked, concern evident in her voice.

Shrugging, Cyborg said, "If Robin and Raven were here, I'd suggest that one of them go udnercover and try to get information from one of the citizens, but they're not."

"Why can't one of us do it?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Dude, you're green. And its not like I'm the most inconspicuous guy in the world," Cyborg pointed out.

"Perhaps I could do it!" Starfire volunteered.

The two boys exchanged dubious glances. "Are you sure you're comfortable enough with our culture to do that?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire nodded. "I have been on this planet for some time. Besides, I am obviously the best choice for the intended purpose."

After a moment of thought, Cyborg finally agreed. "Let's get you some normal clothes, then."

Following several hours of long lines, billions of clothes, and rude sales clerks, they finally emerged from the mall with a newly dressed Starfire. She sported a blue crop-top with quarter length sleeves, a cut-off jeans skirt, and cute blue, sparkling boots. Her hair was done up in a ponytail with a green clip. One would not have been able to guess that this was the Starfire of the Teen Titans.

After brief "good luck"s, she went into town to begin "mingling with the people" as Cyborg said.

The first person she came into contact with was a woman of about age seventy, an onery old lady who obviously wanted nothing to do with teenagers like Starfire, but the poor girl, so trusting of absolutely everybody, approached her anyway. "Excuse me?" she started politely.

The woman turned around and glared. "What do you want?"

Starfire beamed brightly. "May I ask you a few questions?"

A frown crossed the woman's face and she pulled a scowl. "What do you want from me, you hoodlum?"

This threw Starfire off for a moment. Then she beamed brightly once more. "I do not wish to take anything of yours, merely to gather information."

She took out a can of, yes, pepper spray. "Get back, I said!"

Starfire backed up. "But-"

"BACK!"

Starfire hung her head. Normally the citizens were nicer when she came by...

This time she wandered into a darker alley where she was certain she might find somebody. Hopefully somebody nicer than her previous acquaintance. Suddenly, three boys dropped down in front of her.

The first was tall and had slicked back black hair. His entire wardrobe consisted of black leather and his entire appearance screamed greasy. He had a cigarette in his mouth and he grinned at her with yellow teeth as he straightened up. His two companions were short and portly, though both were grinning crazily and she could see them flexing their muscles.

The first boy spoke up. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this, sweetie?"

Her face flushed uncomfortably and she backed up a little bit. Her intuition told her to run, but she held her ground, determined to find the information that would lead her to her friends. "I am looking for answers to many questions. Have you seen a boy of about my age with black, spikey hair wearing-"

The hooligan cut her off. "She's looking for her boyfriend, boys!" His two companions snickered. "He's not here, baby."

"So you have not seen his companion either, a girl of about my age as well with lavender eyes and hair and wearing a blue cloak with-"

"Oh, did your boyfriend leave you then?"

Starfire was getting annoyed with these immature boys. "I am merely looking for him. He is my best friend, as is his companion. Would you please tell me where they went? It is essential for me to find them before something bad happens."

The hoodlum's companions circled around the back of her, boxing her in. Their leader spoke up. "Don't leave so soon, sweet thing."

Starfire backed up, but realized that she was boxed in. With a sigh of frustration, she charged up her starbolts. "Please do not force me to hurt you. All I wanted was som information. Please do not make this more complicated."

His eyes widened a bit. "What do you know, boys? It's that hot Titan!" His companions' grins faded a bit as she turned on them.

"Leave me alone! You are horrible people! We protect your city, and yet you still cannot grasp a simple thank you in our behalf! You should be ashamed of yourselves, you clorbags!" She screeched, flying up into the air and out of the alley, leaving behind three open-mouthed boys.

She had almost decided that the citizens of this city were jerks and that there was no point in even trying anymore when she heard a small girl's whimpers. Touching down next to the huddled figure, her maternal instincts kicked in and she asked gently, "What's wrong?"

The girl turned to face Starfire. Her black hair fell across her face as tears poured from her blue eyes. "My dolly hurts me!"

Starfire saw the small toy lying on the ground, a red color dotting its surface. Curiously, she picked it up and immediately withdrew her hand from it. Looking down at her hand, which was now covered in red xinothium, concern filled her thoughts. There must have been a lot of xinothium present for it to be effecting her this way, for normally it was not as painful for her, due to her resilient nature. "How did your toy get this way?" she asked the little girl kindly.

"There was a big man with a scary suit and he was glowing yellow with red polka dots."

"Glowing?" Starfire's eyes narrowed in thoughts. "Could you describe the suit to me?"

The girl's eyes opened wide and she nodded. "It was big and black with a BIG lightbulb in the middle. He kept shouting that Mr. Light or something shall rule. Something like that."

Starfire's eyes widened. "Was there anybody else there?"

Nodding, the little girl replied, "There was a girl, a boy, and another person in a scary suit."

"Another person in a suit? What did he look like?"

The girl shook her head. "It was scary!"

Starfire smiled and gently pulled the little girl onto her lap. In her buttery-sweet tone, she said, "It is okay. There is no reason to be afraid. Was the suit black with a big red 'x' on it?"

"Yep," the little girl nodded, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Who were the other two people? Did you see them as well?"

This time, the girl smiled. "Yeah, the boy was nice. He had a lot of pretty colors on his outfit. And he was fighting the guy in the scary lightbulb suit!"

Starfire smiled. That was Robin all right. "What about the girl? What did she look like?"

A frown crossed the little girl's face. "She was scary too. She kept shouting strange words and then these black monsters kept jumping out at everybody. The monsters even attacked the nice boy with the pretty colors!"

Starfire smiled. More like saved, she thought. "What about the person in the scary black suit with the 'x' on it? Who was he fighting?"

Her eyes opened wider, now almost occupying her entire face. "He was fighting the other guy in a suit, but they kept losing! And then he trapped them in a big yellow and red bubble and the scary girl attacked them with her black monsters until they fell out of the big bubble and then the scary lightbulb guy got attacked by the black monsters until he was all weak and then he disappeareded!"

Starfire tried to get the story straight in her head. "So how did your toy become covered in xinothium?"

"What's xin-xino-xino...what's that?" the little girl asked, cocking her head to the side.

Starfire sighed. "It is the red substance that your toy is covered in."

"Oh." The girl nodded. "Well, the big scary lightbulb guy was covered in the glowy red stuff. That's what he was using to fight the other people. Everything that he touched or that touched him got covered in the glowy red stuff!"

Starfire's expression changed immediately to that of worry and she thanked the little girl before she left. "Here, take this green paper. With it you may buy a new doll," she said, pressing a twenty into her hand and dashing off to tell Cyborg what she had found out. Red X was working with Robin and Raven, and they were trying to fight Doctor Light, who was using xinothium against them... Her head hurt with all this incoming information. All that was certain now was that those three were in danger and yet they had no way to help them. They needed information, and soon!


	6. Chapter 6

I finally got a break from homework, but I don't know how long this writing spree will last, sorry. Anyway, this chapter finally introduces the emotional conflict and (finally) some shipping. Don't automatically assume that I'll ship one way, for I tend to twist things up. You'll see.

Disclaimer: I own only the story, nothing else. The computer's not even mine.

Chapter 6

This was the part of fighting that he hated the most: the waiting and licking the wounds part. He grimaced as he moved a bit, trying to get comfortable without causing more damage to himself. These bandages were only getting in the way now, not really helping anyone, most especially himself. Groaning, he attempted to get back to sleep, but he was finding that practically impossible now that he was so uncomfortable.

Without realizing it, he let his gaze fall on her sleeping figure. His eyes followed the movement of her body as she breathed more easily now that the effects of the xinothium had worn off a bit. He hadn't realized how much she really did sacrifice for them, putting peices of herself into different objects to protect people that she hardly knew...and those that she loved. She tensed up a bit in her sleep, contesting with an unseen foe before she returned to a peaceful slumber.

Everything was so confusing to him right now. Now that love had begun to enter the picture with him and his friends, he could hardly seem to get his mind off of it. First it was the incident when they were stranded on that desolate planet, then it had been restoring hope to his two best friends, and now he found himself trying to make up his mind. He had many more feelings than he had ever even wanted to have, and now it was just getting confusing. He sighed. He just wanted everything to clear up so that he could make up his mind and decide exactly how he felt about each and every one of his teammates, but life wasn't like that, as he had learned so many times lately.

There were moments when he thought he knew, of course, like when Starfire and he had been on that planet and alone together. Back then he had thought that he had straightened it all out, that he knew what these feelings were, but then something else, something bigger, had happened. The end of the world. Not only had it been the adventure of a lifetime, but he had then discovered his own feelings for someone else, someone who he had always thought of as a close friend, but never anything more. But once he had started to spill his emotions, he ended up only spinning a more tangled web for himself.

There were times when he just wanted to be like a normal kid again, but after all he had been through and all that he had accomplished, turning back really didn't seem like an option anymore. Besides, he had come to enjoy the company of his teammates, and maybe even the company of others more than the rest. There were times when he wished that he could be like them, having true powers instead of having to fight one's way to the top, having to stick it out with training and agility while the others got by with their own unique abilities. And on top of it all, he just wanted to have normal crushes!

Of course, he loved his teammates, though he wouldn't ever admit it to their faces, but there were times when he wished that their powers wouldn't get in the way. For instance, when he and Starfire had been stranded on the planet together. He had been the cause of the failure of her powers, and that had haunted his conscience for some time afterwards, knowing that he could be responsible for putting her in danger. Then there was the fact that Raven had the unique ability to destroy things whenever she felt a strong emotion. How was he supposed to deal with that if she was the one for him? How was he supposed to know who the right person was for him anyway?

Groaning, he flopped back onto his pillows, all hope of getting a good night's sleep now lost in his thoughts. This was also the part of being a superhero that he hated: the fact that he didn't have any normal friends. Just once, he wished that he could hug Raven without worrying about getting blown to smithereens or that he could talk about his feelings with Starfire without worrying about what dangers he would be putting himself in. Sometimes he just wished that he could have a map that laid out exactly what he was supposed to do with his life so that he could get...to...sleep!

She stirred once more, her eyebrows furrowing as she moved about a bit. He sat perfectly still, not wanting to wake her from her peaceful sleep, but Raven didn't always do what was expected of her. That was what made her unique, he supposed. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing those deep pools of lavender that were her eyes. For a moment, he found himself lost in those pools of color before she spoke, bringing him out of his confusing thoughts. "What are you doing awake at this time of night?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I couldn't get to sleep. There are too many thoughts going through my head at once." It was partially the truth anyway. He couldn't ever tell her the real truth, for fear of getting smashed by her powers and for the simple reason that he found it entirely too difficult to reveal his feelings to anyone. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he wore a mask, to hide from the rest of the world. It gave him some security, and he reveled in it.

She smiled one of her warm, comforting smiles at him and he felt as if the world were melting before him as she spoke. "It's not good to obsess over things, you know." What truth was stored in that single statement! She spoke from experience, both from watching his mistakes and from making her own, another thing that the two of them had in common.

He couldn't keep his feeling inside any longer, he knew, but how to say them without giving away what he was talking about? "But what if the thing that you are thinking about is worth obsessing over?" he asked, hoping that whatever advice she planned to give him would benefit in some way, even if it didn't solve his problem.

Unfortunately, she went the wrong direction with it. "Slade's not worth obsessing over, Robin. He's a criminal. You're above that and you know it. Don't bring yourself back down to his level by constantly thinking about it." She rolled over, pulling the covers up to her shoulders. "Now go to sleep."

His expression saddened. Was that what the others thought he was like? Always obsessing over Slade and nothing else? A focused warrior with no emotions except a burning hatred to find those who did wrong and make them pay? He shook his head. He had been that way once, and he was never going back. But how was he supposed to change an image like that? He had painted himself into a corner, and the image he had painted was a false one of himself. "It's not about Slade this time, I swear!" he blurted out.

She sat up, a bit angry that he still wanted to talk at this time of night, but glad that it wasn't going to be about Slade anymore. "That's new," she said simply, not wanting to sat anything more. She had a knack at getting others to say what they needed to say and to answer their own questions without uttering more than a few words. Maybe she could do that this time and get back to sleep sooner.

He nodded, glad that he finally had her attention. "Yeah. This time, it's about something bigger than that. Something so...vast that I can't seem to grasp it." He was avoiding saying outright that he couldn't grasp his own emotions, trying to get her to understand that on her own, but with her, she could get anyone to spill their guts without even trying.

Crossing her legs, she stared into his masked eyes, trying to read his expression. "That important, huh?" she stated simply, searching his face for some kind of clue as to what in the world this boy was trying to say that was making him so uncomfortable.

Smiling, he nodded vigorously, trying to find the words that would explain it to her. "Yep. You see, there's this, um, friend of mine. Well, actually, two friends of mine. And they're both really awesome and I love to be around them," he paused, wondering whether he had said too much.

She nodded, her eyes still studying him as if she was trying to read a book, making him a bit uncomfortable. "Would I know these friends?" she asked without even changing her expression.

Pausing for a minute, he tried to decide how to keep this conversation from revealing any names, especially hers. "Well, you might. I don't know where all you traveled before you joined the team. Odds are, you probably do." There, that was vague enough, he hoped.

"Alright," she said.

He sighed in frustration. That was the thing with Raven. If you asked her for advice, she'd let you do all the talking. Not really much of a conversation. Then again, he supposed that was what it was like for the others when they were trying to talk to him. He never was a conversational type, preferring to get straight down to business. Perhaps that was why he had so much trouble grasping and voicing his emotions. "Yeah, and well, you see... Well, these two friends of mine, they're both becoming dearer friends to me than I would have ever expected, and some people are even beginning to talk about relationships between us beyond friendship, even though we haven't ever even considered it. And now I think I am starting to consider it, but I'm not sure." Great, now he really WAS spilling his guts.

"You're not having girl troubles, are you Robin?" she asked with a slight twinkle in her eye.

He sighed. She'd guessed it without saying more than a few sentences. One of the many qualities that made her so likeable. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I am."

She sighed as well. "That's always complicated, isn't it? Trying to get your emotions straight. You think you may like somebody, but you don't know if they like you back. And then of course there's always the question of whether or not another person likes that person and whether or not they still have feelings for someone else..." she paused, realizing that she too was beginning to spill her guts.

He smiled mischeviously. "Having guy problems lately, Raven?"

She looked away for a moment, blushing, then looked back at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "I might be."

He leaned forward. "I'm listening."

She took a deep breath. Great, now the roles were reversed. That was one of his great qualities, the fact that he too could get you to talk without even realizing what he was doing. "Well, there's this one boy who I think I'm starting to like, but there's always the problem of whether or not he likes someone else, someone who might even be prettier and better for him. Then there's the problem of whether or not it's good for me to have a relationship at all, what with my powers and everything." She paused. "And then there's this other boy..."

His smile faltered. Another guy? He sighed. His hopes had been high that she might have been talking about him, but apparently not. "It's hard to decide between good friends, isn't it?" he asked, a smile now permanently present on his face.

She smiled and nodded slightly. "How do you choose? How do you decide who likes whom?" Dejectedly sighing, she finally said, "It was so much more simple before love entered the picture, wasn't it?"

He hadn't noticed it, but they were getting closer by the second. His eyes were now level with hers and he was feeling himself losing the battle with his emotions. "I don't know; I never thought it was a bad thing to be complicated," he said, his smile widening.

"I'm not saying that love is a bad thing," she said, looking away and pulling her knees to her chest. "It's just that everything's going in circles for me. That one boy had an obvious crush on somebody else, but now she might be out of the picture, and the other boy..." She trailed off, looking back at him. "Well, he might have feeling for me as well, but I fear that those feelings may be divided, as mine are."

He nodded, completely understanding her confusion. "It's hard, not knowing what to do or where to go, isn't it?"

She sighed and nodded, not saying a word, but letting her expression do all the talking. They leaned in closer to each other, their foreheads now touching. She leaned her head slightly to one side and closed her eyes as her emotions took over as well.

Their lips drew nearer and nearer, but they never connected, for a certain third party in the room had stirred, throwing a pillow in their direction and tearing them apart. "Get a room or something, would you? Some of us are trying to get to sleep!" Red X said, annoyed.

They looked away from each other, both now all the more confused. They had been so close to finding out if they were meant to be. Or was that the answer to their questions? Were they not meant to be? It seemed that every time they tried to get together, something pulled them apart once more. Perhaps they were not meant for each other at all. Either way, neither could find the courage to look back at the other, choosing instead to drift into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning proved better than the previous day. Raven spent much time meditating, and by mid-day, she was able to move about and attend to the boys wounds with her healing powers. She had been able to heal many of Robin's broken ribs and reduce Red X's injury to a minor one, but both boys were still incapacitated for a while until they were fully healed once more, and after her healing attempts, Raven found herself in bed once more, her energy drained from all the power required to perform such complicated procedures.

"So what time did you two get to sleep last night?" Red X asked mischeviously.

Robin glared at him and turned away. "We slept very soundly, thank you. What are you talking about?"

Red X was a bit confused. "But I saw you two smooching last night."

Raven spoke up. "We weren't kissing, if that's what you think. We were having an intellegent conversation, thanks."

"What about? The inside of your mouths?" X laughed.

Robin growled a bit before responding. "Actually, we were talking about the others. Not about each other...exactly."

Red X cocked his head to one side. "Exactly?"

Raven growled as well and charged up her hands. "Just drop it, low life. We may be helping you now, but we just may decide to walk out the door now."

X laughed. "Be my guest. Then that idiot'd be your problem. Now that I've established that I'm not Robin, I can get on with my life."

Raven shook her head. "So you don't think that he now thinks that you're working with us?"

X growled. "I work alone, I thought I established that!"

"Try pounding that through Doctor Light's thick head," she said simply.

"She's right, you know," Robin said, attempting to stand, but swaying a bit.

Red X groaned. "Shoulda known you'd side with your girlfriend."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Raven shouted.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Robin shouted.

Red X shrugged. "Whatever. You two can think whatever you like. All I'm saying is that when you start exchanging saliva, you're official."

Robin clenched his fists. "I'd advise you to drop it!" he growled threateningly.

Shrugging, Red X walked over to his computers as if he was going to drop it, then turned back and said, "You two make such a cute couple, though!"

Raven growled and gave him a negative energy slap before retiring back to her bed. She looked back over at Robin. "We're not an official couple, are we?" she asked.

He shook his head vigorously. "Oh no. Of course not." Secretly, though, he was wondering the same thing.

"And that's all that she told me before I put the peices together, so to speak," Starfire said, finishing her lengthy explanation of the days' events.

Cyborg's eyes were wide. "You did what?"

"I believe I have already recounted the story," Starfire said, wearing a confused expression.

"But those idiots...and the lady...and then you...? You kicked their cans?" Cyborg couldn't exactly string a sentence together.

"Yes I did. There are many in this city who do not deserve our protection. Tell me, why do we continue to fight when our efforts are waisted on such a horrible group?" Starfire asked.

"Well, Star, it's our job. If we didn't do it, who would?" Cyborg replied, scratching his head.

"But the people do not show much gratitude at all! What is the point of saving them if they do not want to be saved?" she persisted.

"Well, it's our duty. If we don't do our best to save them, then it'll be our fault if they get taken over."

"That is a heavy burden," she sighed.

Cyborg wondered when she had thought about this and sat down beside her. "But it doesn't have to be so heavy if we share it together."

She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. "Truly?"

He nodded. "Now let's work on finding some information on Doctor Light. When did he break out anyway?"

"I do not know the answer to any of these questions, Cyborg. Why are you asking me?"

He shook his head. "I wasn't asking you, Star, I was just talking to myself."

"Why is it that so many of the people on this planet see fit to have conversations with themselves when they are perfectly aware that they cannot answer themselves?" Starfire asked.

"I-" Cyborg opened his mouth to answer, then closed it once more. "You know, I really don't know."

"Oh," she said simply. "Perhaps it would help to question the guards at the prison where Doctor Light was previously held?"

Cyborg nodded, wondering how Robin was able to keep up with all these questions. Maybe it would be a good thing if the two of them finally hooked up.


	7. Chapter 7

And the writing continues! I love not having homework! I hope it lasts.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. But you know that already.

Chapter 7

There was obviously something going on outside. The three sole inhabitants of this small house could hear chaos erupting outside of the walls, but they had no clue as to what might be causing it. Nothing seemed to be the matter at the moment, and it wasn't as if she had anything else to do now that she had her strength back, so she decided that it was about time that she check it out.

Of course, Robin probably wouldn't let her go if he was awake, but thankfully, he wasn't. So she slipped on her blue cloak and rushed out the door, making sure to levitate instead of run so as not to disturb the sleeping boys. Gently opening the door, she peeked out to see what was causing all the noise.

Doctor Light was back, and he was apparently looking for them. Either that or he had lost his teddy bear, because he was completely tearing the block apart looking for something. He finally came towards the block of cement that she was currently inside and began blasting away. A beam passed by her and singed her cloak, at which time she decided that it was time for the boys to wake up.

Rushing down the hallway, she rushed to Robin's bed and started shaking him. "Wake up!"

He groaned, turning over and stretching. "Rae, what's going on?" he asked groggily. "What time is it?"

She shook her head. "We're under attack, Robin! Wake up!"

Well, it is sufficient to say that he was very much awake at that point. He sat right up, which only caused his bruised ribs to throb, and he held his side, breathing heavily as he attempted to stand up. "WHAT?" he managed to bellow.

She helped him stand up and then repeated herself. "I said we're under attack. I think Doctor Light's looking for us!"

Footsteps could be heard pounding down the hallway and several blasts shook the foundation. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think that?" he teased.

Red X sat up, now fully awake. "What's going on?" he demanded. He then caught sight of Robin leaning on Raven and groaned. "If you two are going to have a moment, kindly try not to wake me up for it, huh?"

Raven glared. "For your information, the reason we're even up is because we're under attack!"

X jumped up out of the bed. "WHAT?"

Raven growled at him. "You two really are a lot alike. Do I have to repeat myself again? Just get moving already!"

"You know, Rae, it'd just be easier if you got us out of here. I don't think we're exactly in a position to be running around," Robin prodded gently, referring to his weakened state and Red X's arm in a sling.

She sighed. He was right, and she knew it, but she really didn't want to waste much energy, seeing as she had almost burned herself out yesterday. "Fine, but then we're all going to need medical attention if this doesn't go well." With that, she allowed her soul self to engulf all three of them and take them out of the building, finally touching down on a rooftop above the site.

"Thanks, Rae," Robin said, dusting his sleeve off. She cocked her head at him. He looked different without his cape and gloves. More...human, she guessed. He looked down at himself and blushed. "What are you looking at?"

She blushed as well. "You just look different, that's all."

He nodded. "I guess."

There was an akward silence between them before X finally broke in saying, "Are we going to get out of here or not?"

The two of them nodded and Raven placed Robin's arm around her shoulder and supported him as they cleared the site. She looked back over her shoulder in time to see the T-car drive up to the scene. She sighed. What she wouldn't give to go back and help them... But she had duties here, and she couldn't just leave these two boys, not in their current condition.

"Looks like he was looking for something," Cyborg observed as he hopped out of the T-car, his sonic cannon ready.

"Or someone," Beast Boy added, looking around at all the scared citizens running around.

"Remember that he is covered in xinothium. Not even I may touch him. Indirect contact is the only way to defeat him," Starfire advised.

"Great," Beast Boy muttered, looking down at himself. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Um, you try to find out what he's looking for!" Cyborg suggested as they rushed into the crushed cement block. "Whatever it is, he was really determined to find it."

"You do not suppose that he was trying to locate our missing friends?" Starfire asked, her hands flying to her mouth.

Cyborg tried to reassure her. "No, he couldn't be. We don't even know where they are. How could he?" Secretly, though, he had been wondering the exact same thing.

They rushed into the building to see Doctor Light trying to smash down a particularly sturdy door. Beast Boy rushed to the side to begin his "investigation" while Cyborg and Starfire stared down the villain. "Are you looking for something?" Starfire asked, a harsh ring in her tone as she fired up her starbolts.

Doctor Light whirled around. "Ah, the Teen Titans. Looking for your lost friends, I presume?"

Cyborg's eyes narrowed. "Where are our friends?" he growled, charging up his sonic cannon.

Doctor Light smiled. "You don't know? Well! Why would they keep secrets from you?"

Starfire growled. "I am sure that they have a very good reason as to why they have not told us where they are at this time. You have no business in trying to hurt them!"

Their opponent laughed. "Trying? My dear girl, I'm only here to finish what I started!"

Cyborg caught the tone in the doctor's voice and gasped inwardly. "What did you do to them?"

"You'll soon find out!" Doctor Light replied, charging up his suit for a heavy attack.

Beast Boy wandered through the hallways, trying to find whatever it was that he was supposed to be looking for. He finally stumbled over a trapdoor by accident. "What's this do?" he wondered aloud and opening it, walking down into the darkness.

He finally came back up on the other side to find a hot, stuffy room writhing with electric currents. The whole room was one big block of cement except for a single barred window on one wall. Scanning the room more closely, he found a peice of one of Robin's birdarangs on the floor. So this was where X had held them captive! he realized. Wondering where they could have gone, he decided to follow a different path in that tunnel. Changing into a firefly so that he could see, he flew down into the cavern, finally coming back up at the other side.

The sight was truly confusing to him. It looked like a normal house, with a bunch of computers and TVs and such, but there were three medical beds set up in the middle of the room. Something had happened to their friends, but what? He changed back into his human form and walked around for a moment, examining everything. Whatever they had been doing, they certainly had been pretty messy about it. Wet towels were strung over the sides of the couch and there were still dirty dishes sitting in the sink.

Something caught his eye and he wondered over to a research table where there were several birdarangs and X-shaped gadgets. Some of them had been taken apart and studied. So Red X and Robin had been trying to compare gadgets or something? Some sort of research had been going on, he figured, but he couldn't fathom what it might have been.

He plopped down on one of the beds and rubbed his temples, trying to take it all in. At this point there was a high possibility that Raven and Robin had been working together with Red X, but for what purpose? He decided that it was best to continue his search, so he got back up, accidentally knocking something over in the process. As he bent down to pick it up, he recognized its green color. Bringing it out to the light, he realized that he had found one of Robin's gloves! He checked under the other beds and found the following items: One of Red X's gloves, the other green glove, Raven's boots, and Robin's cape.

Now he was even more confused. He knew Raven and Robin pretty well, at least, he knew as much as they would let him know, but one thing he did know was that they would never leave behind their uniforms, and he was guessing the same went for Red X. They had probably been forced out of there somehow. Or driven out by Doctor Light's attack...

The door burst down in a green flash and Starfire came flying across the room, all the while shooting starbolts into the cloud of dust she had created. Spotting Beast Boy, she asked, "Have you discovered anything yet, friend?"

He held up the gloves and cape and gestured towards the boots and silver glove. She gasped as he explained, "I found these under the beds. They were here, Star."

She touched down beside him and held the cape up to the light, as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. "This is Robin's! He never leaves without it! What has happened to him?"

"STAR, WATCH OUT!" Cyborg's voice boomed and she zipped out of the way just as a blast of both light and xinothium demolished the area where she had previously stood.

Her eyes lit up. "What have you done to Robin?" she screeched, preparing an enormous attack.

The gravel was beginning to hurt her bare feet, but she was too tired to try to levitate at the moment. She really had used too much energy the day before in trying to heal the boys' wounds, and now she was feeling the repurcussions of her choice. So she tried not to show any pain, even as her feet began to turn red with sores.

"Rae, are you sure you're okay? Maybe we need to stop for a minute," Robin suggested, concern lining his words.

She shrugged. "No, I'm fine. We need to keep going."

He shook his head. "No, you're not. I can tell, Rae. The next hotel we go by, we're stopping. No buts about it. You need to rest. We've put you through too much these past two days, and I don't think you've truly recovered from Doctor Light's attack."

She sighed. "How can you always tell these things?"

He shrugged. "Guess I'm just lucky that way. Or maybe it's that bond we share."

She looked him straight in the eyes- or in the mask, in his case- "Or maybe it's something else," she whispered so that only he could hear what she said.

He blushed. "Maybe."

Red X turned around. "What are you two talking about back there?" he asked.

Robin opened his mouth to respond, but something stopped him. He could hear someone approaching, but he couldn't tell who it was exactly. Raven heard it too, and she turned around to face whoever the person was. Her jaw dropped in surprise when she saw them standing there, all six of them holding weapons that glowed with xinothium.

"Chang," Robin growled, recognizing the henchmen immediately.

Red X recognized them too. "Aren't those the..." he trailed off, since he really hadn't known what had been going on that night when he had saved Robin.

Breathing heavily, Robin assumed a fighting stance. It wasn't a perfect stance, but he didn't care. "What does he want?"

Red X pulled out his gadgets as well with his good hand. "That's what I'd like to know."

With that, the six figures attacked.

"Boo-yah!" Cyborg shouted as his sonic cannon sent Doctor Light flying across the room. It didn't work as well as he had planned, though, for Doctor Light simply got back up and charged again.

Beast Boy, meanwhile, was standing at the research table where the gadgets sat. "They were working on this for a reason, and I bet it has something to do with Doctor Light," he muttered to himself, picking up one of the X-shaped gadgets and examining it. On a hunch, he threw it at Doctor Light, and, surprisingly, it seemed to do some damage. He grinned, picking up some more of the gadgets, both Robin's and Red X's, and hurling them in Doctor Light's direction.

Putting his hands up in defense, Doctor Light shouted, "Stop, stop!" and tried to put up a light force field, but Beast Boy's barrage of gadgets kept raining down on him, forcing Doctor Light to retract the sheild. Frustrated, the doctor blasted Beast Boy with a ray, sending the changling flying into a television screen and shattering it.

"Beast Boy!" Cyborg and Starfire shouted in unison as their friend lost consciousness, red sparks dancing across the young boy's chest. Taking advantage of their distraction, Doctor Light exited to go after his original targets.

Starfire shook his unmoving form. "Friend Beast Boy, please awaken!"

Cyborg scanned him. "He's alright Star, just knocked out. We should get him back to the tower. Along with those," he said, pointing towards the gadgets that Beast Boy had discovered.

She picked them up. "I wonder what caused these to disrupt Doctor Light's power," she mused.

Cyborg laughed. "Star, I think you're starting to talk to yourself too!"

Blushing, Starfire replied, "Is it not a custom on your world? I suppose I have merely adopted that trait."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just help me get BB back to the T-car so that we can study those things."

The fight wasn't going very well, Raven had decided as she fell to the ground for the fourth time in the past five minutes. The boys weren't having any luck either, she realized as she watched Robin take out his bo staff and try to attack one of the men. Sure, he succeeded in bringing one of them down, but it had drained him of energy so fast that it didn't take much force at all to send him flying into a brick wall. She winced when she saw him connect with the solid surface, and she tried to get back up.

Red X was having the best luck in bringing them down of the group. Fighing with only one hand had its disadvantages, but the ability to diappear and reappear made up for it in some way. In fact, he had already taken down two of their opponents before he was hit full on with one of the xinothium-charged weapons and sent to his knees. He rolled away from another attack and ducked into a nearby alley to catch his breath.

Raven growled when she saw the remaining three advancing on Robin, and she began chanting. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she shouted, bring a ton of bricks on two of them, leaving only one henchman standing. The effort had exhausted her, though, and she fell against the wall for support as her vision blurred. Suddenly, a gloved hand reached out and pulled her into the alley.

"We need to get out of here. I don't think any of us can take another hit!" Red X said. Even as he spoke, he was struggling to breath, and each word was edged with pain despite the voice distorter.

"Alright. Let me go-" A blast of light energy interrupted her and Doctor Light stood in front of them, grinning like he had just won the Nobel Prize.

Robin had seen their dillema and rushed forward to attack Doctor Light, but the remaining henchman blocked his path. Breathing heavily, he bared his teeth at this annoying obstacle. "I do NOT have time for this," he muttered, throwing several exploding discs at the man to temporarily blind him so that he could get to Doctor Light. With a strangled cry, he lept forward, his bo staff connecting with the doctor's face and sending him flying backwards.

Raven knew that Robin couldn't take another hit, but what could she do? She only had enough energy to get herself and maybe one other person out of danger, so until she regained her strength, they were stuck here. She watched with fear etched into her features as Doctor Light got back up to attack Robin.

He knew that he didn't have the strength to fight, but he had to anyway. Raven was powerless to stop Doctor Light if he let him get by, so what else could he do? Growling, he prepared another attack, but something behind him stirred. He whirled just in time to see a bright red object flying at his head, then nothing.

She had screamed when he had fallen. Tears had sprung to her eyes almost instinctively and she wanted to lash out at that one henchman, but she knew it would not be wise. Red X grabbed her arms and turned her around to face him. "We have to get out of here!" he shouted.

"But Robin-"

"Can take care of himself. If we don't get out of here now, we're going to get the same thing!"

"But what if-"

"Just do your magic thing and get us out of here!"

She blew out her breath in frustration. She knew that he was right, but she couldn't just leave Robin! Sighing, she dejectedly forced herself to engulf the two of them in her soul self, and they disappeared from the site. Tears were now freely falling from her eyes as she hoped that Robin would wake up, that she hadn't abandoned him...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chapter 8

Raven's eyes opened slowly as everything came into view for her. Her vision was still blurry, but she could make out shapes. Sitting up, she rubbed her head in confusion and tried to get her bearings. As far as she could tell, she was in a hotel room in bed. How did she get here? She finally found Red X, zonked out in the bed across the room from her. So he had brought them both here. Good for him.

Her memory was blurry as she attempted to recall everything that had happened. As far as she could remember, after she had phased herself and Red X away, she had seen the henchman carrying Robin away and then she had finally touched down. Everything after that was darkness. She had probably lost consciousness after that adventure, and she was still sore from it all as well.

She heard Red X stirring and waited for him to wake up before pelting him with questions and accusations. "Where are we? Is Robin okay? What's going on?" Normally, she would have kept her cool in a situation like this, but this time was different: Robin was in trouble and it was her fault! She had posessed the power to save him, but had not!

He raised a gloved hand. "Whoa, whoa. Look, I know you're mad because your boyfriend got kidnapped, but I had to get us a place to stay somewhere."

She glared at him. "I think it's time we called the Titans in for backup," she suggested.

He shook his head. "Nothing doing, chick. I'm not going to be the one to tell those kids that their leader just got bested by an idiot in a lightbulb suit. If you want to, that's fine with me, but I'm out of here."

She growled. "But you owe us! You're the one that got us into this mess."

This seemed to stop him for a moment and he turned to face her. "Fine. But if those buddies of yours even hint at trying to put me in the slammer, I'm out before you can say 'Bird Boy'."

Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes, saying. "Well?" She held out her hand, waiting for him to consent.

Blowing out his breath in frustration, he went to the telephone in the room and started dialing. It wasn't the fastest way to get the others, but it would suffice. He placed a hand over the receiver. "Nobody's home."

She sighed. "They must have gone after Doctor Light. Leave a message, would you?"

Grumbling, he conceded, though obviously unhappily. "Look, kids. Me and your pal are stuck in a hotel and need backup. That idiot Doctor Light and a bunch of Chang's henchman ambushed us and-" he stopped. "It cut me off!" he cried out, indignant.

"That's okay. Cyborg can trace the call," Raven replied.

"Great. So now we just have to wait," he grunted, plopping down on the bed and turning on the television.

Raven nodded, though her heart was racing. How long would it take the others to receive their call? Every second that they wasted could be precious time that they could have been searching for Robin. If Red X ever pulls a stunt like this again, she thought, I'll personally put him out of commission.

He grunted, struggling to sit up in this darkness. His vision was slowly coming back, and he could finally make out his surroundings. There wasn't much to look at, though. Wherever he was, it was solid metal wall-to-wall. He tried to sit up once more, but was finding that impossible, and now that feeling had returned to his arms, he could tell why. His arms had been tied tightly behind him and, just for good measure, hooked to the wall behind him. His feet were also bound and his belt was gone. Apparently, they had gone to great lengths to be sure that he would be unable to escape. He tasted something foul, and realized that somebody's handkercheif was securely fastened around his mouth. This was a predicament that he had not forseen, to be sure.

His eyes narrowed as the door opened and light streamed around him, blinding him momentarily. He could see boots approaching him, but he couldn't seem to look up without straining his arms, so he looked away instead. He didn't need to know who it was, though, for eventually all villains would start monologuing and spill their entire plan to their captives. That was the way things seemed to work in this business...

Sure enough, Doctor Light bent down to look him straight in the face. He wasn't exactly in a position to make a snark comment, so he did the next best thing. He growled. Doctor Light only laughed at him, though, and sure enough began monologuing. "I bet you're wondering what I have in store for you and your friends."

"Not really," he thought, narrowing his eyes at the villain sitting before him. If he could have kicked that smirking face in, he would have.

"Well, I broke out of jail last week. A certain Professor Chang helped me out. Apparently, you and he have had several run-ins, even some trading. That's where I found out about this Red X character of yours. I admit, I made a mistake in thinking that you would have kept up the charade, but you can never be too sure. Especially considering your past in this area," Doctor Light smirked.

Oh, he just wanted to hit that man! He struggled a bit against his restraints, but it didn't seem to be working. Really, all that he was accomplishing was to inflate the villain's ego, letting him know that he was getting ticked.

"You're not getting mad, are you? Too bad. Anyway, so then I teamed up with Doctor Chang and we discovered this huge stash of xinothium that your friend was holding, and we figured that it would be the best way to defeat you annoying Teen Titans. After all, if I coat myself in it, I'd be invincible, and Chang and I would rule the city!" Doctor Light laughed.

"Just kill me now," Robin thought sarcastically, not wanting to hear another word of this.

"So once we get you brats out of the way, we'll attack the city. And guess what? We'll make you watch. Our first target will be that tower of yours," Doctor Light continued, smirking.

Robin's eyebrows shot up. The Tower? He growled once more, wanting nothing more than to deliver a satisfying punch to the guy's face, but the doctor stood up and left, closing the door behind him and engulfing Robin once more in darkness.

"Will he be alright?" Starfire asked for the third time in the past five minutes.

Cyborg was starting to get annoyed. "He may not be able to move for a few hours, but I'm sure he'll pull through."

Starfire folded her arms. "I am sorry. I am just very worried about all of our friends. They have not contacted us at all, and so much had gone wrong lately."

"Why don't you go check and see if they contacted us while we were gone?" Cyborg said dismissively, turning to his instruments.

"All right."

Starfire walked to the computer and tryped a few things into it, her face etched with worry. There was nothing on the computer. There was nothing on their communicators. Nobody was outside... She paused. Had they used the telephone. She almost reached to pick it up, but second-guessed herself. Cyborg had said that it was "way low-tech" and that he doubted anyone would call on it. Still, something told her that she needed to check, so she pressed her ear to the phone.

"You have one new message. To hear this message, press one."

She was overjoyed! Pressing the indicated button, she could hear two voices bickering in the background before a mechanized voice finally spoke up. After listening carefully to the message, she was dismayed when it was cut short. Dropping the phone, she rushed over to Cyborg and pulled him all the way doen the hallways to stop in front of the device.

Confused, he picked it up and listened. When he put the phone down, he was not overjoyed as she was, but rather concerned. "Did you happen to notice that he said 'pal' not 'pals'? That means that somebody's missing from the trio."

Her hands flew to her mouth. "You do not suppose that one of our friends has been captured?"

He tried to calm her down. "Look, it may just be nothing. Maybe it was a slip-up. He did seem kinda rushed."

She nodded. "Perhaps. Can you trace this call?"

He looked indignant. "This old thing? Star, tracing a call on something this low tech is a peice of cake! Watch and learn!" Within a few minutes, he brought out a printed sheet of paper with the adress of the hotel. "Boo-yah."

Raven paced the room once more, turning sharply in midair. She had regained enough strength to levitate, that is, after a few hours of meditation. What could be taking them so long? She wondered. Running her hands through her hair, she realized that Red X was laughing at her and quickly brought her hood up over her face to conceal her emotions.

"If you're really that worried about your boyfriend, why don't you just go after him?" he laughed as he flipped through channels.

She fixed him with an icy stare. "For the last time, he is not my boyfriend. We're just good friends, that's all. Besides, the others are taking way too long. Normally they'd be here within the hour, not within the week!"

He chuckled. "Relax. They're probably out fighting somebody or something. Isn't that what you kids do?"

She sighed in frustration. "You're probably right, as much as it pains me to admit it. I shouldn't worry so much, I guess. But I can't help it. I could never forgive myself knowing that I could have saved him, but I didn't."

Blowing out his breath in frustration, he realized that he had to comfort her or something before she drove him insane with her worrying. Besides, her emotions were starting to destroy things. Already he'd had to call up for five new remotes, and the hotel manager was getting pretty ticked with them. "You did what you had to do. You didn't have the strength to save him too. Just accept that already! Stop thinking that it's your fault! Stuff like this is bound to happen when you play the good guy." He tucked his arms behind his head. "That's why I'm not on anybody's side. It keeps me out of trouble."

She shook her head, knowing that what he was saying was true, but not realy accepting it. Finally, she plopped down on the bed and crossed her legs in a meditation stance, trying to clear her mind of all these emotions before she broke something again. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, bringing her mind back to reality. Blowing out her breath in frustration, she answered it.

Immediately, she wished that she had asked who it was first, for she was met by one of those alien strangle-holds that Starfire called a hug. As she struggled to breath, she saw Cyborg standing before her, his sonic cannon ready. "Where is he?" the cybernetic teen asked with a growl.

Red X jumped up, holding his hands up in defense. "Let's not get hasty. I'm only here because I owe Robin, but if you're going to throw me out, I'll let myself out." He placed one hand on his belt in preparation to leave before things got too heated.

Raven placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder. "It's okay, Cyborg. He's on our side."

"This time. But don't expect any more favors!" Red X growled.

Cyborg reluctantly lowered his cannon, but he breathed a threat to X. "If you put one toe out of line, you're getting a one way ticket to jail. As it is-"

"He's helping us and we should be thankful," Raven interrupted.

Cyborg looked at her strangely. He'd never seen Raven this open before. "Okay."

Starfire tapped Raven on the shoulder. "Where is Robin?"

At first, a fire rose up inside of her as she felt extreme resentment towards the nieve girl. After all, this was her competition for Robin right before her. But the feeling passed. Starfire was her best friend, and she shouldn't let a boy get in between the two of them. She looked away for a moment, collecting her thoughts before answering. "We really don't know, Star. He was...captured in our previous encounter with Doctor Light."

Cyborg's eyes shot up. "You guys lost to Doctor Light?"

She shot him an icy stare. "Well you try fighting when he," she pointed to Red X, "has a broken arm, Robin has several bruised ribs, and I was still winded from the previous fight!"

He raised his arms up in defense. "Sorry, sorry. How'd it happen anyway?"

She plopped down on the couch. "We were ambushed by six of Chang's henchmen-"

"Chang?" Cyborg cut in, wearing a confused expression.

Sighing in annoyance, she said, "Yes, Chang. We don't know how he's connected to Doctor Light yet, but whatever the reason, they ambushed us. As I told you, we really weren't in a position to fight, and we were having a hard enough time before Doctor Light showed up." She choked as she prepared to tell them about the next part. "Robin was trying to protect me. Doctor Light was getting ready to attack us, and he stepped in. But that meant that he was hit from behind by one of the henchmen. We had to get out of there before we got the same, so we had to leave." She was faintly aware that tears were forming in her eyes, and she quickly pulled up her hood to hide them.

Starfire looked like she was on the verge of tears as well. "Then where have they taken Robin?"

Again, Raven felt that fiery monster rise up within her chest once more as she glared at Starfire for a moment, but she fought it back down. "I told you, Star: we don't know. Even if we did know, we're in no condition to go after him. Cyborg, do you think you could help us out?"

He puffed out his chest in pride. "I'll see what I can do."

How long had he been in here? Three hours? Four? Five? He had lost track of time. His wrists were chaffed from the ropes and his stomach was growling loudly for lack of food. His right arm was asleep because he had been leaning on it for so long, and he was beginning to lose feeling in his feet. An escape plan was forming in the back of his mind, but fatigue and hunger were keeping him from putting it together.

Meanwhile, his mind had had plenty of time to wander. Most of those thoughts were about newly formed relationships. When it came down to it, he knew that he and Raven had been only a few seconds away from becoming official, but looking back he had to wonder whether or not he had really meant it. Had it been love that night, or simply an overload of emotions?

His thoughts drifted to Starfire. He knew that back on the planet they had also only been a few seconds away from being official. He sighed, which was not an easy feat to accomplish when one's side was completely numb. What was he supposed to do? Was he not supposed to have what he wanted? Was he not supposed to love either girl? All these thoughts of emotions were only confusing him.

The repurcussions of either relationship were haunting him. He remembered only too clearly how Raven had stressed that she couldn't fell anything for fear of destroying something with her emotions. If he were to ask her out, would he be rendered a mere pile of ashes, or would she be able to control herself long enough to go with him? And what of her personality? Would her darker side ever see anything in his optimism?

Then there were the repurcussions of a relationship with Starfire. Sure, she would love to have him by her side, and there would be no immediate side effects, but what of confusion? If the two of them broke up, what would become of her powers? Would she lose them completely? Then there was the question of whether or not she would be willing to wait for him to come out and say it. He had always feared that she would move on before he could reveal his emotions, but there was always that problem in any relationship, wasn't there?

Of course, there was also the problem of his profession. He had found out the hard way that friendships could be used against him, to force him into situations that he would have otherwise avoided. If ever he were to enter a relationship stronger than friendship, his enemies, most especially Slade, would eventually find out, and then where would he be? Back in blackmail and threats, that's where. He sighed once more, a long, painful sigh. Times like these made him wonder if he should return to having a normal life.

He forced himself to focus once more on the problem at hand. Once he got out of this situation, then he would be able to think of such things, but only then. After all, what good would it be to focus on relationships if the city was about to be destroyed? As it was, his own life hung in the balance if he didn't figure something out soon, but he was drawing a blank. That was another thing he hated about all these complicated emotions. They seemed to be keeping him from thinking straight.

Raven and Red X were lying in seperate beds in the medical ward as Cyborg examined their wounds. He finally turned her way. "You did an excellent job, Rae. With your help, X's arm should be mobile by this time tomorrow. I applied some medication that sped up the process of course. I developed it after Robin broke his arm. I figured we might need it again. Anyway, looks like you had some internal bruises as well, but I figure a day's rest should help clear those up."

She sat up in protest. "But we don't have a whole day!" As she said this, a container burst.

He put an arm on her shoulder. "We don't have a choice either. BB's in bed, Red X is in bed, you're in bed... We can't afford to have three people out of commission on a rescue mission like this. I'm sorry to break it to you, Rae, but this is how it's got to be."

She crossed her arms. "Well, I don't like it," she stated.

Starfire put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It is okay, friend Raven. I am worried about our friend's safety as well."

Once more, the monster rose up within her, and she had to refrain from growling at the girl. How could a boy do this to their friendship so easily? She was even more confused now that she was back with the others. There was always the question of the other boy, the one she had mentioned to Robin before. And here he was, sleeping in the bed beside her.

Confusing thoughts crowded her mind once more. She had always heard that opposites attract, which would put her with Beast Boy, but then she had also heard that your best friend could become more than that in an instant, which would put her with Robin.

She remembered only too well the time that Beast Boy and Cyborg had entered her mind and helped her to overcome her hatred. At that time, she had thought that she had figured out what she wanted, especially when he had practically spilled his guts to her after the whole Malchior incident, but she hadn't. Terra had come into the picture and he had fallen head-over-heels for her.

Yet she also remembered when Robin had come after her during the end of the world. Even when the others had lost all hope, he had never given up on her and had even inspired her to fight back against her father. And he had hugged her back, hadn't he? But then again, Beast Boy had hugged her back too... AGH! Everything was so confusing!

Needless to say, she did not get a good night's rest that night as Cyborg had suggested, but rather woke up every hour or so with some new theory as to who she really had feelings for. She finally concluded that it was too soon to settle on one person, so she drifted back to sleep, into her dreams.

_She was up on the roof of the tower. The wind was swirling around her and catching her cloak as she looked out over the stars. A gloved hand rested on her shoulder and she turned to stare into Robin's face. He was smiling. "Hey Rae," he said teasingly, sitting down beside her._

_"Robin, what are you doing here?" she asked._

_He grinned recklessly. "Aren't I allowed to talk to you?"_

_"It's too confusing!" she sobbed._

_He placed an arm around her shoulder. "I know, I know. It's hard trying to decide between friends. You don't want to hurt anybody, do you Rae?"_

_She shook her head in answer and buried it into his chest, letting the tears fall freely. Miraculously, nothing was exploding yet. "I don't know what to think anymore."_

_The scene changed. She was back inside the tower. Beast Boy was trying to get her to laugh once more. She secretly loved it when he did that, though she would never let on to the others. Whatever he was trying to get her to laugh at wasn't working, as usual, and she had to keep herself from laughing AT him. He was just so darn cute when he was annoying. "What are you staring at?" he asked, catching her eye._

_"Nothing," she lied, looking away. _

_"No, you were looking at me funny. What's wrong Raven?"_

_She turned to face him. "Beast Boy, everything is so confusing right now. I think I might love someone, but I might also love someone else!"_

_He grinned crazily. "Am I one of those someones?"_

_Sheepishly, she replied, "You might be."_

"Raven! Raven!" She woke to find Beast Boy standing above her, shaking her hard. She smiled for a moment in memory of the dream, then snapped back out of it. Glancing at the clock, she realized that she had slept past mid-day! Sitting up, she stared off into space. Normally her dreams had some sort of meaning. What could these particular ones mean? Her thoughts drifted back to Robin.

_"You don't want to hurt anybody, do you Rae?"_

She almost let her tears fall once more. "No," she replied inwardly. "I don't. And most especially, I don't want to hurt you."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Same old.

Chapter 9

It wasn't as if he didn't have enough time on his hands, but rather it was what he did with this time that was keeping him from getting anywhere with an escape plan. He had been sitting in the same position for the past few hours and yet had not managed to make any progress at all. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He had managed to sit up this time. His arms were sore and he was starting to weaken with hunger, but at least he wasn't numb anymore.

His eyes had become accustomed to the darkness by this time and he could see every crack in the wall, every drip of water in this musty place. He had also managed to turn around far enough to see how his hands had been tied. It was a truly uncomfortable position, really, but now he was able to see if he was making any progress in slipping the ropes off of the hook on the wall.

Searing pain rushed up his arm as he tried to turn to far. He let out a strangled gasp as he tried to regain his breath, but the past few days were starting to catch up to him. His chest felt like it was on fire at this point, what with his previous injuries. He was sure he had re-broken several of his ribs at this point, not to mention he had probably strained both of his arms.

His vision started swimming again, and he was starting to feel frustrated with himself. Why couldn't he handle this? Normally, he would have shrugged off pain and just kept going. But apparently the mental stress caused by all this talk of emotions added to the physical pain generated by so much fighting and then struggling against his restraints was starting to take its toll.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and focus on the goal at hand once more, but it didn't seem to be working just quite yet. Sighing, he leaned his head back against the damp walls and closed his eyes. What he wouldn't give to be back at the tower right now, preferably sitting in the medical ward and getting these bruises treated, maybe even sipping some of that herbal tea with Raven.

His stomach growled once more, pulling him out of his reverie as he glanced sadly down at himself. When was the last time he had eaten? Dejectedly, he realized that he had forgotten to eat dinner the night before. Great. Now he was hungry, tired, AND confused.

Starfire was sitting in front of the screens. Normally that was Robin's spot: the chair that he always sat in, staring blankly at the monitors so as to catch any villains in the middle of their criminal activities. They had come to call it the obsession seat over time, and now here she was sitting in it. She had good reason to as well, considering the fact that it was her Robin that was missing. She was absolutely determined to find Doctor Light or Professor Chang and make them pay, make them tell her where they were hiding him.

Raven opened the door slightly to see her friend sitting there, and she smiled a bit. Starfire really was starting to take up Robin's obsessive side, especially when it came to matters concerning the Boy Wonder himself. As she had become accustomed to doing lately, she had to calm the monster within her chest before she could enter the room and talk to the girl.

"It's horrible not knowing where he is, isn't it?" Raven asked quietly so as not to startle her friend as she came up beside her.

Starfire turned to face her, and Raven noticed the distinct lines on her cheeks that meant she had been crying. The poor girl's eyes were also puffy and red, not at all their usual sparkling green color. Raven was taken aback for a minute. She had no idea that Starfire cared this much. "Raven, it is absolutely horrible as you say. I do not know what I will do if we cannot find him!" she sobbed.

Raven fought down the monster once more. She wanted to say, "Too bad, he's mine!" or something along those lines, but she wasn't even sure herself that it was the truth, so she refrained from speaking her mind, for now. "I'm lost too, Starfire. He was my best friend too," she said, then wondered how far she could take it. "We shared a bond, remember?"

Starfire nodded. "I remember only too well when you entered Robin's mind that night. You helped us to save him from himself, and for that I am most eternally grateful, as I am sure he is as well. It must be so incredibly hard on you as well, knowing that you had to leave him." She choked. "I do not know if I would have posessed the strength to sacrifice my own feelings as you did, Raven. You are a true friend!"

Raven turned away for a moment. A true friend, huh? Now she only felt guilt and worry. Was she really a true friend? Was she behaving as one? No, a true friend wouldn't be trying to steal a boyfriend. But Robin and Starfire had never officially hooked up, had they? She truly didn't know what had gone on that day when they were stranded on the alien planet, and for all she knew, the two of them were secretly boyfriend and girlfriend. But then how could she think that when Robin had been so close to her the night before? She grasped her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She wasn't behaving as a true friend, that much she knew was true.

"Raven?" Starfire cut in on her thoughts. "What is wrong? You appear pale- paler then usual, may I add." Her face was one of true compassion and worry. This was only making her feel even more guilty, thinking about Starfire. The Tamaranean girl was so trusting, so completely full of love, something she couldn't do, especially not now that her emotions were starting to get the best of her.

"I'm sorry, Star. I'm just really lost right now. Everything is happening so fast," she said, not wanting to reveal too much.

"Friend Raven, you know that you may tell me everything and anything," Starfire said, one of her sugary sweet smiled plastered onto her face as she took her hand.

She sighed. If only she could... "Well," she paused, looking for the right words to say without giving anything up. "I'm having problems with my emotions right now."

Starfire gasped. "It is not of your father's influence, is it?"

She shook her head. "No, it's something even more complicated than that." She took a deep breath. "You see, there's this boy."

Starfire's smile broadened. "Oh, you are doing the falling in love? Tell me, Raven, who is it that you are feeling the yearning for?"

Raven's eyes dropped. She couldn't, wouldn't tell Starfire what she was truly feeling, especially after what she had just witnessed of Starfire's own emotions for Robin. She couldn't do that to her best friend, could she? But the fiery monster inside her kept telling her to break the news to her, to let her know how she really felt so that they could get it out in the open before she burst. "Well, there are two somebodies, actually, and both of them are really nice, and they've both given me hugs and made me feel important..."

Starfire's grin got smaller, but she continued to smile nonethless. "So you are feeling the confusion as to what your feelings are for each particular friend?"

Raven nodded. "Exactly."

"Tell me, Raven. Do I know these two boys?"

Raven paused. "You might."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Cyborg came rushing in. "Where have you two been?" he thundered, waving his arms about madly.

Raven looked up, glad for the interruption. It really was hard to keep secrets from Starfire, and she had come so close to accidentally spilling her secrets. "We've been talking, Cyborg. Sorry if we worried you."

Beast Boy peeked around his friend's shoulder. "Rae? You sure got up fast!"

At first when she saw him, she felt a rush of embarassment, then guilt, then confusion once more. He was just so darn cute when he was confused that it was hard to keep her mind focused on other things! But then she would think of how dang hot Robin was when he was fighting and that would just confuse her even further.

Starfire seemed to notice her confusion and she leaned over and in a whisper asked, "Is our friend Beast Boy one of those boys whom you previously mentioned?"

Raven blushed and nodded before replying, "Star, there's something you need to know. Something about the other boy who I told you about. See, there might be some conflict between you and me..."

Star raised a hand. "You need not tell me now, Raven. I am sure that when you are ready to tell me you shall, but I do not wish to rush you into things that you do not want to do."

Raven shook her head. "But Starfire, you need to know this. Robin's having the same troubles I am."

Starfire paled. "He said that?"

Immediately, she wished that she hadn't spoken up, but now what could she do? She had already said it, and there was nothing more she could do but to explain. "Well, he said that he was having trouble sorting out his emotions lately, that's all." She knew it was a cruel lie, but judging by the look on Starfire's face, the girl wouldn't have been able to take the news, not now with all this added stress as well.

This seemed to calm her nerves a bit and Starfire relaxed a bit more into the chair, turning back to the computers. "That is good."

It had been hours of grueling torment on his arms and many times he had been forced to stop pulling to prevent himself from losing consciousness, but he had finally done it. He had managed to slip the ropes that were so tightly bound around his wrists off of the hook on the wall, thus enabling him to move his arms a bit. He relaxed for a moment, enjoying the slight freedom he had gained in moving his arms around.

This time he had managed to keep his thoughts from wandering. The searing pain in his arms helped, of course. They felt at this point as if they were about to fall off and he wished that he could just get done with it and break free, but he knew that he had already taken a big step in even getting this far, so he allowed his eyes to close as he started to drift off to sleep, but he soon found that his thoughts had not vanished, but were merely waiting for him to invite them back in, whether on accident or not.

"No, it wasn't. Somebody believed." Raven's words echoed in the back of his mind. She had hugged him that day, a great big, loving guesture that was so rare in her own way. Then again, he had also seen the time that Raven had hugged Beast Boy in the same manner. Oh, he knew for a fact that she hadn't known that he was walking down that hallway at the time, otherwise she very well would not have been so open towards the changeling.

Unbidden, a fit of rage rose up inside of him, directed at the youngest member of the team. He knew it was unwise to feel this way, that he couldn't afford to hate one of his teammates, especially in his position, that is, he being the leader. But how could he ignore the relationship that was growing between that boy and Raven? His eyes narrowed as he remembered well how many times Beast Boy had strived for Raven's attention. No doubt he was the "other somebody" that Raven had been talking about that night.

And what of Starfire? He knew without a sliver of a doubt that the girl had a crush on him, and there were several times that he had come so close to asking her out, but something always stopped him. It was so frustrating, being pulled so close together and then being torn apart. He remembered all those times when he held her hand, when she hugged him, when she kissed him...

That was probably the main thing that was confusing him, was the fact that he and Starfire had progressed so much farther into a relationship than he and Raven ever had. Of course, there was always the fact that the kiss had meant nothing, that it was merely a transfer of information from himself to her, but she had changed after that day. Had she changed for him? Had she been pining for him all along and he had just been too blind to see it?

But that wasn't the question that was tormenting his mind at the moment. The true question was the identity of the one that he was pining for. He and Raven had drawn closer together since the fiasco concerning her father, and he was fully aware that he had allowed it to happen, but what was he to do now? There were so many things that could possibly go wrong, so many ways that a relationship could end in a disaster.

Groaning, he opened his eyes once more. Apparently, he wouldn't be getting any sleep, so there was nothing left to do than to see what he could do about the ropes binding his limbs. Rolling over onto one side, he tucked his feet up to his chest and rolled onto his knees, thus enabling himself to reach the bonds around his ankles behing his back. What he wouldn't give to have his birdarang right now.

His fingers had finally found the knot when the door opened once more and light came streaming in. Groaning inwardly, he realized that Doctor Light had decided to pay him another visit. He fixed the villain with an icy stare as the boots came towards him.

"Red X says that the key to Doctor Light's defeat is polarized matrices of high energy electrons," Cyborg explained, laying out several electric discs both with Robin's insignia and out of Red X's hoard.

"What?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Raven had to keep herself from giggling. This time she knew her emotions were really getting the best of her. It seemed at this point that everything that Beast Boy did was starting to strike her as funny, but she couldn't help feeling a twange of guilt every time she bit back a smile. "It's the stuff that Robin's gadgets are made of," she explained so that Beast Boy could understand.

"I'll start working on assimilating some of this technology into my sonic cannon. Red X will help me. I want you three on patrol. Beast Boy, you take the streets as a dog, and Raven and Starfire can take the skies," Cyborg continued, not to be interrupted.

"Good luck finding your boyfriend," Red X smirked.

"He is not my boyfriend!" both Starfire and Raven exclaimed at the same time. Starfire cocked her head in confusion at Raven, who blushed furiously and turned away.

"Right. Anyway, if any of you find anything report to me immediately so we can give you some back up," Cyborg finished, giving both girls an odd expression.

The two of them took off into the sky, followed close behind by Beast Boy as a bird until he touched down on the ground to begin his search there. At first the air was thick with tension and silence. Finally, Starfire spoke up, "Raven, what did Red X mean when he referred to Robin as your boyfriend?"

Raven sighed. She had known that this conversation would eventually come up, but she had genuinely hoped that it could happen after she had sorted out her feelings. Taking a deep breath, she tried to lie, "He was teasing us because I had come to get him to tell him something and that's why I was captured too. So since we were both there, he wanted to rub it in harder." Why couldn't she have come up with a better lie than that?

Starfire cocked her eyebrows at her friend. "Raven, I have known for some time that you have been hiding something from me. Do not be ashamed to tell me. Whatever it may be, I will always remain your friend."

Raven looked away in shame. "Not this time."

"What do you mean, Raven?" Starfire asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Star, if I told you that I knew somebody who liked Robin, what would you say?" Raven asked, trying to skim around the subject.

Starfire shrugged. "It appears to be a common subject in this city. You do recall the incident with the one named Kitten?"

Raven nodded, hoping that Starfire wouldn't react in a similar fashion to what she had to say. "And what if I told you that Robin might possibly like her back?"

Starfire's eyes opened wide and she faltered in the air for a moment, but regained control. "I am unsure as to what I would think. I had always believed that Robin had the feelings for me. I have been waiting for him to say it, but if what you say is true..."

Raven shook her head. "No, Robin likes you too. It's...complicated, Star. See, sometimes people don't know what to think. Sometimes when people like other people, they start to find themselves feeling that way about more than one person. And then it just gets more confusing and you end up confusing other people as well with your own emotions..." She paused to calm herself down, for she had accidentally torn a few shingles off of various homes.

Starfire's eyes opened wide in realization. "Friend Raven, is the boy who you were...do you...does he?" This was perhaps the first time that Raven had seen Starfire so unsure of what to say. Normally, words seemed to come naturally to her, but this time...

"Star, I don't know how to say this to you, but Robin, well, I think, that, um, I might be crushing on him, and that, well, he might have feelings for me too," she said in a single breath.

Starfire's eyes watered and she landed on the roof of a nearby building, hugging her knees close to her chin as she took in everything that had happened. "How did this happen?" she whispered. "Raven, I thought that you were my best friend. I did not forsee something like this."

Raven landed beside her and went to put her hand on Starfire's shoulder, but the Tamaranean whirled on her. "Do not touch me!" Starfire shouted, her eyes blazing and her teeth gritted. Immediately, though, her demeanor changed and she began to hug Raven, sobbing, "I am sorry, friend Raven, I should not have let my emotions overtake me so. You are still my friend and it is no fault of mine that you are beginning to have feelings for our friend Robin." She turned away, continuing, "We must continue our search for him, though I advise you to keep your distance. I do not wish to cause you any harm in my anger."

Beast Boy wasn't having much luck finding anything as of yet, although he had managed to stick his nose in a puddle of something foul smelling. A burning sensation filled his nostrils and he reverted back to his human form, shaking his head to relieve the pain. Then it occured to him what he could have found. Through hazy eyes, he focused on the puddle he had recently discovered unwillingly and realized what color it was.

"Maybe if I follow it, the xinothium will lead me right to the bad guys," he mused aloud, changing into a tiny hummingbird to follow the trail. He watched it closely, following its twists and turns. Suddenly, though, it just stopped.

"What in the...?" Beast Boy reverted back to normal, searching the ground for some sort of clue as to where Doctor Light could have gone. Finally giving up, he went to sit down on a trashcan, but even as he put pressure on it, it sank into the ground, revealing a trapdoor beside it.

"Yes! Go Beast Boy! Go Beast Boy!" he smiled , transforming into a rat and scurrying down the tunnel.

He could hear the sound of men's voices faintly in the distance, and he transformed into a fly so that he would not be noticed as he flew into the room. He finally came to the end of the tunnel to find Chang and Doctor Light discussing something that Chang was holding.

"It is ingenius!" Chang said, shoving the vial up underneath Doctor Light's nose. Beast Boy noticed that it had a faint red glow about it.

"Yeah, yeah, but does it work?" Doctor Light said, shoving Chang's hand away.

"What better way to test it, my friend?" Beast Boy saw Chang's evil smile and wondered what was going on.

"I agree," Doctor Light nodded, the same sinister smile on his face.

With that, Chang walked out of sight. Deciding it best to follow the guy with the strange vial, he trailed the villain through the dark hallways. He realized that they were getting deeper and deeper underground, for it was getting really damp and musty. He passed nine different rooms before Chang finally stopped at the last one.

The first room was nothing ordinary, neither was the next one, though Beast Boy did notice that the doors were as far away from each other as possible, and that the wall between these two rooms had more reinforcements than any other. The third room was solid concrete surrounded by sheer metal and the door must have weighed at least two tons. By the time he got to the fourth and fifth rooms, he had figured out pretty much what they were for. Both rooms were greatly reinforced and completely fireproof. Beast Boy realized what they were for. These rooms were where they planned to hold the Titans captive! The first two rooms were for Mas and Menos, the next for Cyborg...In fact, Beast Boy could probably identify each room with its intended captive, but curiosity was getting the best of him.

Chang had been in the end room for some time now, and he could hear the footsteps of several henchmen approaching as well. He zipped over to the doorway just after the henchmen entered the room. The shocking scene before him was so surprising that he almost dropped out of the air.

As Chang exited the room, Beast Boy looked down on the Boy Wonder, who was now writhing in pain. So that's what the vial was for, he realized. Suddenly, a large hand came up in front of his face to swat him. He couldn't duck in time and found himself flying into the wall. His head was spinning as he reverted back to his human form, holding his throbbing head.

"It's one of the Teen Titans!' Get him!" Chang ordered his henchmen.

"Oh boy," Beast Boy muttered, jumping back up even as he narrowly avoided a direct blow from one of the glowing red objects. Changing into a cheetah, he rushed out of the way with those henchmen on his tail.

Numbing pain. That's all he could feel. That, and burning tears that had collected at the bottom of his cloth mask. He couldn't remember the last time he had let tears fall freely, but desperate times called for it. Having not forseen Professor Chang's appearance, he had neglected to arrange himself so that it would appear that he was yet incapacitated. Now he was feeling the repurcussions of his miscalculation.

Having not forseen Chang's appearance, he had not known what had been coming. All that he could remember were flashes of thoughts as he struggled to regain his thinking abilities. It was slowly coming back to him even as his own consciousness was slipping away. Chang had removed the foul cloth from around his mouth and held something even more foul-smelling up to his lips. He had lashed out with his legs, delivering a swift blow to the man's face, but it had been a short-lived victory.

He struggled for consciousness once more as he thought about what he had done next. Everything was blurring again and he was having trouble recalling it. Recovering slightly, he continued his attempts to retain his own being. Remembering the previous minutes would be key in planning for the next time. He shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs.

Chang had delivered a solid blow to his stomach, that much he remembered. Then he recalled falling over and holding his ribs as searing pain rushed through his being. Surely they were all broken at this point. He remembered being roughly yanked back up by his collar and then feeling the container pressed against his lips once more. He recognized the scent of it and knew what was coming, and he tried to fight back again, but by this time reinforcements had come in. His arms and legs held fast behind him, he recalled the burning sensation as the liquid coursed down his throat.

Which brought him to the present, where he lay on the ground, now writhing in pain at the enemy he was now inwardly fighting. It had been a cruel punishment, really, and he recalled on several occasions wishing that he could just lose consciousness quickly to end it, but something was preventing him from doing so. He faintly felt the pain shooting up his arms as they were once again thrust behind him and fasted more securely this time.

Through blurry vision, he saw the outline of boots before his eyes and a smirking face bent down in front of his. He was faintly aware of the need to hit that face, but at the moment his own physical pain was taking over his emotional needs. At least now he wasn't thinking about his feelings.

"What do you think of my latest breakthrough? It's amazing what xinothium can do to the body, isn't it? Don't worry, though. It won't kill you as of yet. I only put a small dose in this particular tube. I'm afraid it will cause you some slight discomfort though," Chang smirked even as he felt his body convulse yet again.

"You're despicable," he managed to gasp, but even that small sentence left him gasping for air.

Chang's smirk widened. "I'm sorry, did you say something? You shouldn't talk through clenched teeth, you know."

Robin fixed him with the iciest stare he could before grunting in response.

Chang stood up once more and made as if to leave, then turned back. "There was one more thing that I wanted to do before I left. Now what was it?" A crazy grin spread across the man's face. "Oh, yes."

His eyes opened wide even as he saw it coming. The white sole of a large boot connecting with his face. An explosion of sound seemed to fill his ears and his eyes were regestering fireworks even as blackness crept in around the corners. He closed his eyes as searing pain swept over him again before he finally allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

Alrighty. Sorry I haven't updated. Homework has been a pain lately.

Disclaimer is the same as always.

Chapter 10

Nothing was making sense anymore to her. She had once had a best friend, but that friend had just revealed something almost unforgiveable. Had she not made it painstakenly obvious what her feelings were? She had once had a close friend, but now he was gone, and he was part of the conspiracy as well. At least with him, though, there was a sliver of hope in there somewhere. Raven had said that there were feelings present for her as well, had she not. Now all she had to do was make the first move before Raven...

She hung her head in shame. She knew that she should not hold this against her friends. They were all perfectly entitled to their own emotions, even if it interfered with her own feelings. But to hear of it from Raven as an afterthought, and not immediately worried her. How far had the two of them progressed in their time alone together? Red X had referred to Robin as Raven's "boyfriend". What all had he seen that she hadn't?

A glimmer of red caught her eye as well as a small green figure following the red trail. She smiled. Beast Boy had found something, apparently. Signalling wordlessly to Raven, the two of them touched down on the rooftops to watch him look around. The trail had ended here for some reason and did not go any further. She was about to call out to their friend when he disappeared into a tunnel, but from whence it had come, she could not tell.

"Beast Boy!" Raven cried out, unable to control herself, really. Starfire smiled. Perhaps if she encouraged this relationship, Raven would eventually move on from her Robin and end up with Beast Boy instead. She put a hand on her friend's shoulder, the first gesture of kindness she had shown towards the girl since the breaking news.

"It is okay friend Raven. Beast Boy has found where they may be holding Robin, so now we must contact the others," she said. She bent her knees slightly so that she could stare Raven straight in the face. "Beast Boy will be alright, Raven. Do not worry about him." She hoped she wasn't being too obvious about it.

Raven nodded with a determined look on her face, as if she were trying to hold something in. Truthfully, she felt as if she were about to burst into tears. The two boys with whom she had shared so many memories, and maybe even deep feelings greater than any friendship, they were now deep below the surface and she didn't know how to get to them. Taking out her communicator, she struggled not to choke on her words as she said, "Cyborg, we found the entrance to Doctor Light's lair. Beast Boy went in alone. Should we go after him?"

Red X's voice came over the line. "That idiot! What did he do that for? Doesn't he get that Doctor Light is dangerous? You would have thought that after Robin got captured-"

"That idiot is trying to help Robin, and you'd be well off if you take my advice and keep your mouth shut about the both of them, thanks!" Raven snapped back, a bit on the defensive side, which was not at all like her. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of all emotions. Why was she having this much trouble with them? The first thing she was going to do when she got home was meditate for hours on end until she could get this whole thing sorted out.

"Raven, perhaps we should go after him if you feel so strongly about his safety," Starfire suggested meekly.

Now she wanted to lash out at the Tamaranean, but she kept her feelings from surfacing, which was no small feat, considering how strong Hatred was inside of her. She turned towards her friend, eyes blazing, saying, "I'm just worried about Beast Boy because he's being an idiot and now he's going to get hurt!" That was as close as she would get to lashing out, though, for she took deep, calming breaths before continuing. "Sorry, Star. I didn't mean it."

"Friend Raven, are you sure you are feeling well? Your emotions have been surfacing quite often lately, something that until recently you have been very against doing," Starfire gently prodded.

"I'm fine!" she snapped, but just for good measure, she crossed her legs. "I'm going to meditate until the boys get here with the T-car."

This was not how he had expected things to go. He had wanted to find Robin and get out so that everything could go back to normal, but it didn't seem to be working, seeing as he was currently running for his life and dodging blasts of xinothium as he tried to scamper down the shrinking hallway. He turned a corner to find a dead end. He wanted to go back, but Chang's henchmen were right in front of him now, their weapons ready.

Screaming in fury, he changed into a crocodile, which only seemed appropriate now that they were practically in the sewers. Lashing out with his teeth, he was able to throw the henchmen off long enough to get around them. Taking on the form of a falcon, he sped through the air, ducking into a corner before they could figure out which way he had gone. Changing into a fly, he waited for the henchmen to walk right past him before he reverted back to his human form and wandered back through the halls.

He found the hall with the rooms he had previously seen and opened each door, not able to remember which one Robin was held in. After the third door he found the Boy Wonder, who was still convulsing on the ground and writhing in agony, even though he was unconscious. Wincing in pain as he wondered what Chang had done, he changed into a bird so that he wouldn't be hit as Robin thrashed. He took the handkercheif off of his leader's mouth and gently poked the Boy Wonder in the side of the head.

"AH!" Robin screamed, his eyes flying open. Seeing no one, he gritted his teeth against the agonizing pain coarsing through his body, forcing his limbs to discontinue their thrashing as he took calming breaths, trying to breath normally again so that he could take in his surroundings.

He needed have tried so hard. Beast Boy jumped down in front of him. "Shh! Robin! I'm here to rescue you!" Beast Boy paused. "Wow, I never thought I'd say that."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Great," was all he had the strength to say, and even then, it wasn't very loudly spoken.

"Look, we have to get out of here fast. Chang and the others probably heard you scream, and they'll be here any minute," Beast Boy said, a rare urgency entering his voice as he began to untie the ropes around the Boy Wonder's hands and feet.

"On the contrary, we're here already," said a voice in the doorway, causing both boys to jerk their heads up. Chang.

"Great. More company," Beast Boy said, rolling his eyes before changing into a growling wolf.

Doctor Light stepped into the doorway as well. "I suppose you've seen the rooms we prepared just for you. It would be such a shame not to use them, don't you think?"

Beast Boy faltered a bit, surveying his opponents. "I don't think this is a fair fight," he stammered.

Doctor Light stepped forward. "Who said we have to be fair?" he asked menacingly.

"He's trying to (gasp) distract you (pant) Beast Boy. One of the henchmen are coming (pant, pant) behind you!" Robin cried out, depleting himself of much-needed energy in order to warn the changling.

"Thanks, dude," Beast Boy replied, dodging the attack before it came.

"Now it definitely isn't a fair fight," Chang drawled as he secured the gag once more around the Boy Wonder's mouth despite much struggling on the hero's part. "Go on," he nodded to his partner.

"It's payback time," Doctor Light grinned, charging up a xinothium fueled attack.

Raven was determined to find two particular emotions and give them a what-for: confusion and love. Deciding that confusion was probably the one that she needed to give a thrashing first, she headed towards the place where she knew the brown cloaked Raven would be, in the forest.

That was the thing that she hated most about confusion; it was hard enough trying to deal with her, but trying to find her was something else altogether. Brown clothes in a forest full of trees wasn't exactly easily distinguishable. Perhaps that was why she was having so much trouble lately.

She didn't need to find Confusion to get her answer, though, for on her way she stumbled across Bravery, who had considerably shrunk. In fact, she stood about a foot above the green cloaked apparation, which was odd, considering her emotions were supposed to look like her in the fullest.

"What's going on? Why are you..." Raven searched for the right word. "...short?"

Bravery put her hands on her hips. "You haven't figured that out yet? Sheesh, Intelligence must have shrunk even smaller than me!"

Raven rolled her eyes. While Bravery was handy during a fight, trying to deal with her wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Maybe she could arrange with Meekness to give this particular emotion an attitude adjustment. "Look. Just tell me what's going on and why I can't keep my emotions under control as well as I used to!" she shouted.

Bravery rolled her eyes back. "Well, excuse me! Look, you want to know what happened? Then you're lucky I just got back from talking to Intelligence, because Confusion is not easy to get answers from, let me tell you! Anyway, when you put some of your soul, meaning us, into the xinothium, some emotions shrunk. The emotions that you were feeling strongest at the time: Love, Confusion, and Anger, they were enlarged while the rest of us shrank. Why'd you do that to me?"

Raven took it all in. "How do I fix it?"

Sighing, Bravery said, "Well you could start with making up your mind. Confusion's starting to mess with my head, and I'm pretty sure I saw Timid come out of here crying a little while ago."

"I wish I could, but it's not that simple," Raven sighed.

"Sure you can! Which guy do you like better?" Bravery asked as if it were as simple as picking out clothes to wear.

"That's the problem! I don't know!" Raven shouted back.

"Well you'd better decide soon, because Anger's feeding off of Confusion, and it's not pretty," Bravery stated, casting a sidelong glance into the woods.

"Why don't you try picking between your best friends sometime and tell me how it goes!" Raven shouted, lashing out.

Bravery shook her head. "See, there you go again! Breath, Rae, breath!" she reprimanded.

Gnashing her teeth in anger, Raven stormed away. This meditation really hadn't helped her at all. Punching a few stones in the wall before she reached her central rock in the middle of the air, the one that Beast Boy and Cyborg had originally landed on during their journey through her mind, she crossed her legs to try and calm herself down. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

Starfire gave her friend a sidelong glance. The girl had been sitting there for quite some time now, and she wondered if she was okay. Perhaps she should not have lashed out so harshly at Raven, but she had felt betrayed after all, and she was perfectly justified in her anger, wasn't she? Sighing, she crossed her legs in the air and started to join in meditation, but a loud car horn jarred her concentration, bringing Raven out of her stance as well.

"Friends, why do you startle us so?" Starfire called down as she saw Red X and Cyborg get out of the T-car down below them.

After locking the door and giving Red X a pointed stare, Cyborg called back up, "We were coming to help follow Beast Boy!"

Leaning against the wall in perfect relaxation, Red X added, "Isn't that what you asked us to do?"

Raven glared. Red X had this annoying habit of pointing out the painstakingly obvious and turning it against them. "We asked you to come help, not scare us out of our wits!" Inwardly, she reminded herself not to lash out, to try and keep Anger down inside of her.

"Sorry, Rae. Just get down here already! I'm picking up a signal from BB's communicator!" Cyborg shouted.

Raven immediately teleported down, followed close behind by Starfire. "What's his position?"

Concern washed over Cyborg's face. "He's not moving."

Always optimistic, Starfire tried to offer an explanation. "Perhaps he is hiding and moving could give away his position. Or perhaps he is waiting for us to catch up to him."

"Or maybe he's out cold," Red X added, earning several icy glares.

Cyborg shook his head. "Look, everybody. Here's what we do. As soon as we get down there, Red X and I will handle Doctor Light, since my sonic cannon's fully loaded with what we need and his gadgets are packed too. You two will go after the boys."

Raven mentally slapped her forehead. Great, this was just what she needed, to go after Robin with Starfire. This could only end badly for the three of them. "Fine," she agreed halfheartedly.

"Are you going to stand there or go after your pals, because I'm already gone!" Red X shouted as he jumped down into the tunnel that led below the ground.

"He'll do anything to keep from working with us directly, won't he?" Cyborg remarked coldly as he went in after their supposed ally.

"Apparently," Raven muttered dryly as she and Starfire followed the boys.

He was encompassed in darkness again, and this time there was no welcome blackness creeping in around the corners of his eyesight that would usher in much needed sleep. He was merely sitting in this stifling room once more as another wave of pain subsided, finally granting him precious moments in which to breath before he would feel again the stings of the enemy within him.

Beast Boy was in the room next to him, no doubt bound in a similar fashion. The last thing he had heard before that door had closed on him once more was Chang saying that it would take another hour to mix up another batch. At least that gave the two boys some time to try and escape, though (he hated to admite it) Beast Boy would probably be doing most of the work, seeing as not much could be done on his part.

A strange sound could be heard above him, like many gunshots at once. It took him a while to realize what it was: raindrops! He sighed. This was the perfect accessory to what was already a dismal day. Now it was raining! Even as he thought these things, an even louder noise erupted above him: thunder. Resting his cheek on the ground, he let out a long, more dreadful sigh. Perfect.

Even as he sat here, feeling sorry for himself, something he did not normally do except in the most dire of situations, a single drop of water splashed onto his forehead. Shaking it off in annoyance, another one merely took its place. Glaring at no one in particular, he struggled to move once more, but his body was still weakened. Great. Now he was hurting and annoyed.

Another round of thunder echoed through the metal hallways. It must have been a pretty significant storm to have shaken such a firm foundation, but it did. It was almost as if the heavens were mourning the dire predicament of the two boys trapped beneath the earth, but must this mourning result in discomfort for himself? he thought in annoyance as the insistant raindrops mercilessly pounded their rythm onto his head.

Suddenly, a resounding crack echoed through the halls, much like the sound of a whip. This sound was accompanied by a deafening thunder clap. Even as he heard this all happening, a tiny sliver of light shone through the ceiling, only about the size of a pinprick, though light enough to shine directly into the Boy Wonder's right eye, only aggravating him more before he realized what that meant.

Grunting with both the struggle to rise and the coarsing pain still steaming through his body, he squirmed a bit to the left in order to avoid the drops of water and to gaze up at the ceiling. As he watched, eyes intent on the dull surface, another crack of lightning struck above him and the small beam of light once more fell upon the place where he once was. He squinted up at the origins of this light. There above him was a place one of Doctor Light's blasts had hit. It must have gone really deep, for by the time it reached the surface, it was only about the size of a safety pin. Yet there it was above him. A hole in the ground leading here. Now if only he had his birdarangs, he could free himself and get help.

Gulping in more air as he struggled to maintain his higher thinking levels despite the enormous amount of pain he was currently experiencing, he ran his fingers over the knots that held the ropes binding his wrists together. They were simple knots, though in his current state, it might as well have been college-level math, because it was all he could do to grasp both ends and begin working furiosly to untie them.

He had no idea what he was going to do once he had freed himself. As far as he knew, he had less than an hour to accomplish his designs. How he was going to get up through the hole in the ceiling was beyond him. Perhaps he would first free Beast Boy and then send him up through that way and dig him out. Or maybe he could simply get the changeling to retrieve his belt from his room... No, he wouldn't let Beast Boy in there for anything.

He sighed. Great, now he was finding yet another thing that he had in common with Raven, the intended secrecy of his room. He sighed in frustration. He didn't have time for this! It was hard enough trying to figure out how to escape within an hour and still maintain consciousness. Of all the times for his love life to want to show up, did it have to be now?

Pushing all thoughts out of his mind except for one of escape, he worked his fingers over the frail rope, his practiced hand giving him some advantage over his weakened mind. He supposed it was because of his repetitive training on the matter. Probably it was now second nature to him, having gotten himself out of many such scrapes before with immense ease.

After what he registered as about ten minutes, maybe at maximum fifteen, he was finally able to undo the first knot in the sequence. He sighed, allowing himself a moment's rest before he began again. Even as his nimble finger wove their way in and out of the strings, it would take a miracle at very least to get out of here within the small time limit of an hour, much less to come to the aid of his teammate as well.

Groaning in both agony and annoyance, he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Why he did so, he was unsure, for his eyesight was not essential to the task at hand. (Though, granted, it would have been much appreciated in this dire situation.) For whatever the reason, though, it seemed to help him to think straight as he tucked his tongue in the corner of his mouth even as the second knot in the sequence came undone.

Had he the strength he had before Professor Chang's visit, he would have merely broken the ropes at this point. Granted, he might have been able to even now in his weakened state, but the to attempt an escape after such an exertion of energy would be almost suicidal. Grunting in annoyance once more, he ran his fingers over the next knot in the sequence, now thoroughly annoyed with his befuddled mind.

Beast Boy found himself in a worse predicament than he could have imagined. Grunting in frustration, he tried once more to break free of this dumb rubber-band-thing that held his fast against the uncomfortably damp wall, but as Doctor Light had explained earlier to him, the design was made especially for the changeling. No amount of struggling could change that, no matter how much he disliked it.

He sighed, tossing his head to prevent a wet strand of hair from falling over his own eyes. No doubt those two nearfights were busy creating more of the xinothium-based drug to give him a taste of what he had seen Robin experiencing. His eyes narrowed at the thought of having that disgusting stuff shoved down his throat.

He leaned his head back in annoyance as he tried to clear his mind of those thoughts. Surely at this point the others would notice that he hadn't reported in and come looking for him. His communicator was thrashed, though. What good would that possibly do? He sighed once more, annoyed that he hadn't thought to call in backup before diving right into a situation. Perhaps his mind had been too full of fanciful ideas as to how impressed the others would be when he would have emerged victorious with their leader, but now, as usual, the others would be the ones saving his hide.

Leaning farther back as if it would help him to clear his clouded mind, he tried to focus on something else. Perhaps he could now think about his past, maybe come to grips with it. Most imporant on his list would be coming to grips with Terra's betrayal, but that wasn't what he wanted to think about so soon into his thoughts, especially not in this depressing manner.

Perhaps he could focus on something more optimistic, something more hopeful, maybe a possible relationship with another member of the team, one who had been there for him in so many instances before he had ever become infatuated so easily with Terra, someone who had been there from the beginning and who he had been realizing feelings for from that time onward. Raven.

He had noticed her small smiles and her encouraging nods every so often. Perhaps that was why he so craved her attention, to earn another one of those rare smiles. He had seen them every now and then, whenever he had poured his soul out to her or comforted her when she was down, but that had required emotion, something that no boy was really good at. At all.

Then there was also the fact that she was the one to pull him out of situations. He remembered only too clearly all the times when she had saved his life. Gone out of her way to save his life, more appropriately, actually. Perhaps it was merely the instincts of a friend in an attempt to keep her fellow friends out of harm's way, but he had often noticed her looking back to see if he was alright.

Then there was always the problem, the plaguing question that had kept him from ever revealing his own feelings to the empath. The question of her feelings for him in return. He had seen the way she hugged Robin, the way she talked to Robin, the way she smiled at Robin. Why was he now starting to hate Robin? He shook his head, trying to think straight once more and sort everything out, but that is something that should be done in times where the mind is not preoccupied with worry.

He shook his head. Maybe he should have started with Terra.

It wasn't that she hated Raven. It was that she didn't want to talk to her at the moment, Starfire reminded herself for the tenth time in the past two minutes. She looked back to see if Raven was still in the air behind her. She was, thankfully, but it wasn't as if she would make much of it. Shaking her head, she had to remind herself for the eleventh time that she didn't hate Raven. She didn't hate Raven.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she almost walked into the open without checking to see if there was any security there, but Raven pulled her back just in time. Her first instinct was to lash out at the girl for even touching her. Her second thought was one of gratitude as she realized what a friend Raven was being, saving her from her own mistakes even when she was so aggrivated at the girl.

She poked her head around the corner more carefully this time. Seeing nothing, she realized that it would have been fine either way, and once more the dark anger entered her heart. She had not felt such hatred since she had been taken captive from her home planet. Ever since she had joined the Titans, she had felt that she had done away with such emotions, but she now knew that she had not. Her warrior heritage had never left her, but instead had merely been waiting to awaken. The stimuli was only done away with for a time, the anger and jealousy of a lover.

Hearing the whisperings of two men, she motioned for Raven to cloak the both of them so that they might gather intelligence undetected. Feeling the strange sensations of being seperated from one's reality, from one's central being was extremely strange, especially since she hardly experienced such things. Normally Raven would render her serviced to the boys who could not fly rather than her.

"It is the perfect weapon, and it will be a most fitting end to those annoying teens," cackled a voice that Starfire immediately identified as Chang's. She remembered only too clearly how Robin and Red X had saved her from his clutched. She had enjoyed the priveledge of watching, though she did not enjoy the aftereffects. It had taken months for her hair to grow back after that close call with Chang's weapon.

Raven's soul eyes narrowed as they watched their two adversaries walk underneath them, the speaker carrying an empty vial in which some sort of red liquid had recently been contained. A few drops of the said red substance had collected at the bottom, and the girls thought that they could see an imprint on the side of the bottle where it had been apparently pressed against skin.

Her eyes and shoulders dropped as she noticed this particular detail. No doubt one of the boys had been administered this substance, but who and for what reason was unsure to them both at the moment. Deciding that their best bet would be to go the opposite way of the two villains, they dropped out of the ceiling tiles and began to travel down the hallway.

They seemed to reach a central room. Many diverse vials and machines filled several shelves and a large quantity of xinothium lay in the center of the room. The girls looked nervously at each other and backed away from the red substance before getting a better view of the room. There were at least twenty doors circling this room, and which door led to the boys, they were unsure.

Raven checked her communicator. "I can't tell which one Beast Boy was in last. The signal's too scrambled." She sighed, pocketing the device once more.

After a moment's thought, Starfire gave a suggestion. "Perhaps you could determine which of the tunnels our friend had not been traveling through?"

Raven considered the suggestion for a moment, taking out her communicator once more, then sighing in frustration. "Great. He's been through most of them. The last five were untouched, but he must have been chased or something for a while there, because it says that he's been almost everywhere."

Starfire gave Raven a cheerful smile. "Do not worry. We will find the boys soon enough." Secretly, she thought to herself that as soon as she found the two, she was going to lock Beast Boy and Raven together until the two of them developed intense feelings so that Robin would be hers once more. It was a cruel idea, but she was willing to do anything to retrieve her best friend.

"Well, which one should we take?" Raven asked, gesturing at the many doors they had to choose from.

"Our friend Beast Boy has a rhyme to choose from a group when he does not know what is best," Starfire said, her eyes narrowing as she attempted to retrieve said rhyme from her memory.

"Oh great," Raven muttered sarcastically.

"Oh yes. Ahem. Eenie, meenie..."

As much as Cyborg hated being paired with a stick like Robin, he was starting to hate this partner even more. Would the guy at least talk? Say something? Okay, at this point, Cyborg would even settle for a cry for help just so that there would be some sort of conversation in the air.

"So, where do we go now?" he asked for about the third time, trying to make some sort of conversation. He hated silence. It was too eerie.

Red X turned around, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Would you quit asking me that already! Look, we should find Doctor Dim and his buddy soon enough. I told you that I planted a tracking device on the doctor guy. We're going the right way. Maybe you should check your coordinates one more time if you don't trust me that much."

Cyborg's mouth was still open when Red X turned away once more. He was right, and he knew it. Maybe he was being distrustful, but after all, he had a reason to.

Suddenly, Red X raised a gloved hand. "Shh. Listen."

Cyborg looked around, expecting something to come bursting through the walls as it normally did whenever Robin used that particular line. "What?"

Raising a finger to his lips, Red X motioned Cyborg into the shadows, himself hiding in the dark corners of the hallways. No sooner than the two of them had done so than an angry Professor Chang came rushing down the hallway, not noticing the two perfectly still figures.

After a moment's pause, the two looked at each other, then back at Chang. Nodding, they silently readied themselves for battle. "NOW!" Cyborg shouted, blasting the unsuspecting Chang with his sonic cannon.

"What in-" Chang stammered as he was blown back also by a few exploding X gadgets. He was then hoisted off the ground by what he had supposed to be a shadow that had suddenly appeared in front of him and, the next thing he knew, he was pinned against the wall with similar X gadgets.

"Talk, Chang. Where are the Titans you're holding captive?" Red X growled, his X-shaped dagger coming dangerously close to the professor's chin.

"I don't-"

"Talk!" X shouted once more, this time drawing a drop of blood from the frightened villain.

"They're in the second corridor from the right, then go left!" Chang shouted, obviously scared out of his wits.

"Thanks," X muttered sarcastically. "Hey, metal man, why don't you take him to jail or whatever you want to do with him. I'll tell the girls where their boyfriend is and we can get back to leading normal lives.

"You don't know how happy that would make me," Cyborg muttered under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Red X turned slightly.

"Nothing," Cyborg lied. The sooner this petty criminal was off their hands, the better. He didn't like having to work with theives.

"I told you, the second corridor on the right, then go left!"

Starfire sighed. Those were the same directions that she had been asking Red X to repeat over and over again, but it still wasn't making any sense to her. "How can we find this hallway? We are lost at the moment, and your directions are not helpful to us!" she shouted back.

He sighed over the communicator. "Look, find this communicator on yours, then follow the blinking dot. That's me," he explained as if he were explaining it to a small child.

Raven's cross face came on his communicator. "We know how to do that! The signal's jammed down here!" Even as she spoke, the connection broke, leaving the two girls without any way of knowing what to do next.

Starfire sat down hard on the ground. They were back in the central room, and she was absolutely exhausted. "Friend Raven?" she asked suddenly.

Raven's eyes opened in surprised, and she sat down beside the Tamaranean girl. "Yes?"

Starfire sighed. "I wish to apologize. I did not mean to intrude on your personal life. Those you love and those who have feelings for you in return should not shatter our relationship, even if my own feelings are in question. I was wrong to treat you as if you had broken any promise to me. You made none. You are entitled to your own emotions, and I suppose I should in fact be happy for you, since this means that you might now be progressing more fully in your own feelings since the defeat of Trigon," Starfire said, all in one breath.

Raven's eyes opened wider. "Has this been bothering you all this time?"

Starfire looked up at her with wide eyes. "Yes. Have I caused you any grief?"

Raven shook her head. "No, not at all. I'm the one who was wrong. I'm supposed to be your best friend. I shouldn't have told you about my feelings. After all, they may amount to being nothing. You're totally entitled to being mad at me, anyway."

Starfire shook her head as well. "But nothing should stand in the way of friendship. I have been taught that many times."

Raven put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Well, if it means anything, I forgive you for being mad."

Starfire hugged her friend. Hard. "Oh Raven! This is wonderful! Now I will no longer feel shame or guilt or jealousy or-"

"Well, look who's here!"

Starfire stopped hugging Raven as her face turned pale at the sound of that familiar voice. The two girls turned to face the man who had spoken, but as white as ghosts with the surprise of being caught. This someone nodded to several more someones- white cloaked henchmen, to be precise.

"Get 'em."


	11. Chapter 11

Hehe. Oops. I fixed the repeating thing...

Disclaimer: Same old same old.

Chapter 11

Once he had finally untied his wrists, he swung his arms around to work on his ankles. Though his internal clock was telling him that it had been almost an hour by this time, he heard no footsteps, yet. His breathing was becoming more shallow and the corners of his eyesight were beginning to darken. Not now, he thought, not now when I'm about to bust out of here and save Beast Boy.

Suddenly, though, he heard the anticipated footsteps, though they were different this time. Resting his head against the damp wall, he listened with the attentive drive that had been singularly drilled into his head through the years as he distinguished the pattern of footsteps that were approaching. One pair of running steps, followed by the occassional pound of feet on the floor. Possibly someone jumping?

A large explosion filled his ears. At first he dismissed it as simply another round of thunder as he pulled the foul-tasting cloth out of his mouth with a satisfied, lopsided grin. Then he realized that he could hear the sounds of a car above him driving off and the drops of rain increased their pounding for a split second as somebody drove over the hole. So the others were here now. Perhaps that was the explosion of battle?

Deciding that it was better to find out than to be told forcibly, he grasped the wall for support as he forced himself up onto his knees. Leaning over with the strain of this effort, he took deep, calming breaths before continuing. At this point, his eyesight was mostly gone, though he could see flashes of light every now and then from rounds of tormenting agony that still came to him.

Finally, he felt the satisfying crunch of dirt beneath his feet that meant he was now up. Sighing in both relief from the stress and happiness that he no longer felt defenseless, he leaned against the wall once more for support, waiting for his vision to come back to him as he took deeper breaths. Slowly, he was able to see shapes and outlines, finally distinguishing the door between the other forms.

With his remaining strength, he pushed off of the wall in order to reach the next wall. Faltering a bit in his footing, he ended up slamming his shoulder into the damp surface, causing a jolt to shoot up his arm, threatening to bring unconsciousness back, but he fought it down. He was always the fighter, never relenting in his attempts to remain on top, to prove that he didn't need powers to be the leader of the team.

His breathing growing more and more irregular, he leaned back a bit farther onto the wall, his hand on his head as he gasped in more air. As many times as he had been in dire situations such as this, he was going to have a hard time forgetting this one. No doubt the xinothium was already working its path of destruction within him. The sooner he found a medical treatment, the better.

The sounds of battle drew nearer even as he tugged on the door handle. He wanted to cry out to whoever was fighting his captors, but his throat was dry and his voice was hoarse. Instead, he chose to listen as the sounds of the struggle faded into the distance. Frustrated with his own helplessness, he pushed down once more on the door handle, leaning with his full weight. Still nothing. The door was locked.

Tired and annoyed, he sat down on the side of the door that the hinges were not on so as not to be in the way if the door was flung open in a similar manner as to how his captors had previously been announcing their arrival. Running a hand through his hair, now thoroughly caked with dirt, sweat, and rainwater, he sighed with frustration. Nothing seemed to be working to his advantage anymore, and he was starting to think he would never get out of here.

After remaining in this sitting position for about five minutes, his eyesight had returned to him and he was no longer stumbling blindly around. His body was still racked with torment and his ribs and chest were beyond feeling, but his strength was returning somewhat to him. Even as he thought this, though, another round of blinding pain ran its course through his head, causing him to double over in pain.

He was, in fact, still in this position when the door opened.

"And you are certain that we have lost him for the time being?" Starfire whispered into Raven's ear.

The two of them were currently hiding in a dark corner, crouched behind a few crates of xinothium. They were both breathing heavily from the strains of battle, and Starfire's missing wristband and the holes in Raven's cloak attested to the recent struggle.

They had looked up to see Doctor Light, along with several henchmen, standing right above them. In a reflex move, Raven had enveloped the two of them in a shield of black energy, not a moment too soon. Through gritted teeth, the empath had watched as a rain of merciless xinothium blasts pelted her energy, causing her much inward pain.

"What was I feeling just then?" she muttered to herself, worried that she had just enlarged Confusion.

"Friend Raven, I do not know your thoughts, but it appeared to me that you had reached happiness," Starfire suggested, not understanding the implications of her friend's mutterings.

"Happiness? Great, just what I needed to be enlarged. Not cool," she muttered, this time so Starfire couldn't hear.

Just then, the force field had collapsed as Raven had gasped for breath. Fixing their opponent with an icy stare, she had slipped her soul self around the two of them and vanished into the floor, tumbling out into the hallways seconds later.

Which brought them to the present, where the two of them were hiding, listening as footsteps approached, hoping that they wouldn't be discovered. A few henchmen had stood in their way, but they were peacefully sleeping beside the two of them now. Starfire stifled her harsh breathing with her hand even as another white-clad man walked past, pausing to glance down their hallway, then continuing on.

Sighing in relief, the two of them decided that they had best make a run for it and try to figure out where they were. Jumping out into the open, powers fully charged, they almost ran right into Red X.

"AH!" Starfire screamed, letting her starbolts fly, causing a huge explosion that could no doubt be heard several hallways away, most likely giving away their position.

"Watch it!" Red X shouted back, disappearing for a moment and then showing back up behind the two girls.

Raven whirled, ready to fight, but dropped her stance when she saw who it was. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to retain her composure even as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"I'm looking for Robin, if you have to know. Looks like my communicator short-ciruited though. I couldn't get a lock on anything, and the directions Chang gave us were faulty. Almost ran right into a trap, actually," Red X explained, dusting himself off as he landed.

"Hold on," Raven said, holding up a hand for good measure, silencing her two companions.

"What is it?" Starfire asked, her eyes wide in anticipation.

Eyes closed, Raven sounded each word carefully, for she was still concentrating hard. "There are two people a few hallways away. One is in a lot of pain, and the other is frustrated." Opening her eyes, she continued. "I'd bet anything that those thoughts belong to Beast Boy and Robin."

"And I bet the frustrated one is Robin," Red X remarked dryly, earning dark looks from both girls, more especially Raven.

"Let us go then!" Starfire exclaimed joyfully, but Raven shook her head.

"We'll have to fight our way there. There are about twenty people in the passageway between us and the boys, and I think one of them is definitely Doctor Light," Raven said.

"No problem," Red X said smugly, reaching for the explosive devices that had proven useful in battle against Doctor Light before.

Raven put a hand in front of his face, halting his movement. In a very serious tone, she said, "Don't get cocky. It's a lot of them verses only a few of us, and I don't know how much I can help you right now. If I put my powers into that xinothium, it has some weird effects on my emotions."

"So that's what happened that night? Your emotions got away?" Red X asked, his tone both teasing and incredulous. He knew that there had been more to their almost-kiss than that.

Raven blushed and said no more, but Starfire spoke up for her friend. "You would do well to discontinue your argument. Raven knows what she is talking about, and it would be to your advantage to listen to her advice!"

"Thanks," Raven whispered as Red X fell silent.

"Well then what are we going to do?" Red X finally asked.

"We're going to sneak around them," Raven said, her eyes glowing mischeivously.

Red X glanced over at the three henchmen lying on the ground and nodded. "I see."

A few minutes later, the three of them emerged, wearing full face masks and white lab coats as the three henchmen lay in the background, covered in blankets that Starfire had layed across them. They looked at each other and grinned, feeling a bit weird.

They strolled through the hallways, passing right by Doctor Light and his henchmen and into the next passageway. Just as they had thought that they had gotten by, though, Starfire gave a small cough. It was not strong by Tamaranean measures, but it was loud enough for Doctor Light to hear, and he left the henchmen to go investigate the source. Abandoning their pretenses, the three of them shed the robes and rushed into the hallway, followed close behind by the doctor.

Turning to face their opponent, the girls powered up and Red X took out his gadgets. Doctor Light smiled evilly and powered his suit up as well. Starfire attacked first, throwing a large starbolt and shooting repititive eyebeams at the villain long enough to catch him off guard. Red X followed suit, relentlessly throwing as many gadgets as he could.

"Raven, find the boys!" Starfire shouted above the din.

Obediently, the empath phased into the wall, appearing several yards away from the battle. She was mentally drained, though her physical strength was not yet drained from her. Stopping at the many rooms and doors, she had trouble deciding which rooms were occupied and which were not, so she decided to open them all.

That wasn't such a good idea, as she soon found out. Her physical strength was starting to fail as well, though she somehow retained an optimistic attitude as she blasted down each door. Maybe it was a good thing that Happiness had been enlarged, though she wasn't exactly looking forward to her next meditation session and meeting a large pink emotion.

She finally reached the room that Beast Boy was trapped in. As the door fell, his face lit up and he grinned his crooked smile at her as she rushed to his side. "Hey Raven. I wondered when you'd get here."

She smiled. Darn Happiness, now she was going to start laughing at his jokes too? "What happened?" she demanded, her old demeanor returning to her.

He frowned. "It was Doctor Light. I was about to free Robin when he showed up with a bunch of henchmen, and it was too many people for me to take on at once!" he said in one breath.

"It's okay, Beast Boy. No one blames you. We're having troubles with Doctor Light too. Right now, though, I need to find Robin too," Raven said as she broke the restraint holding the changeling against the wall.

"He's in the room next door." Was it her imagination, or did Beast Boy's smile falter?

"Thanks," she replied, getting ready to leave.

"Um, Rae?"

She turned. "Yes?"

He seemed nervous and a bit thrown off. "Um, do you, you know, like Robin?"

Blushing, she asked, "What makes you think that?"

He blushed as well. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering because, well, I was just curious, well, because..." He faltered for words even as he fell against the wall, his arms and legs numb from being held so tightly against the wall.

She rushed to his side, draping his arm over her shoulder, allowing him to lean on her for support as she helped him along. "Because of what Red X said?"

Beast Boy nodded. "I was just wondering, you know, if it was true."

For a moment, she wondered if it would be wise for her to tell him her true feelings, but the moment passed as she decided that he needed to know. "Well, yes and no. See, I like two different boys. Robin's just one of them."

He nodded, a look of relief on his face. "That's cool," he said, though inside he was hopeful that the second one was him.

"Let's go free Robin, then, okay?" she said, leaving the room and preparing to blast down the door before her.

"Rae?"

She stopped. "What?" she asked, a bit annoyed.

"I can't guarantee you'll like what you see," Beast Boy said, his eyes refusing to meet her own.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, her eyebrows rising at the statement.

"You'll see," he said with a tone more serious than she had thought he could muster.

Shrugging, she tore the door down and gasped at the sight before her. It seemed that Robin had managed to free himself of whatever manicles had kept him incapacitated, but he wasn't in good shape. With his head leaning backwards against the wall and his breathing ragged, she wondered if he was even conscious. At least he had positioned himself away from the door so that she hadn't hit him. But he was crouched over in pain, as if he had just been kicked in the stomach.

"Hey, Rae," he gasped, dispelling her thoughts that he might be unconcious.

"What did they do to you?" she gasped.

He smiled that crooked, lopsided grin that seemed to fit him so well. "Nothing much, just a slight dose," he said, though even as he spoke his smile faltered and he grunted a bit in pain.

"Come on, Robin. Really, what happened?" she asked, more persistent this time.

He sighed, leaning his head back again. "Don't worry about me, Rae. Where are the others? Are they as bad off as him?" he asked, gesturing towards Beast Boy.

She shook her head. "Cyborg went to take Chang to jail and Starfire's fighting Doctor Light with X," she said, then continued. "He's just numb from the restraints," she said, explaining Beast Boy's condition.

"Well, if you couldn't feel your arms and legs, you'd be leaning too!" Beast Boy shot back, though the playful glint in his eyes was almost too obvious.

"We have to go help Star and X," Robin said, pushing against the wall to bring himself to a standing postion.

"What do you expect us to do? Beast Boy can't move, you can hardly stand, and I can't touch him!" Raven shouted, letting her voice rise to keep Robin from saying anything else.

"Rae, we need to do something. Why don't you get us out of here, all of us?" Robin asked meekly after a few seconds of silence.

"How am I supposed to do that?" she snapped back, then immediately apologized. "Sorry, I'm a little testy right now. As soon as I get back, I'm going to have to meditate."

Robin shrugged. "It's perfectly fine. I understand. You've been under a lot of stress lately, as have we all. Look, all I need you to do is phase the others back here. I have an escape route in progress."

"I hope it's a good one," she muttered before laying Beast Boy on the floor. "I'll be back in a second."

With that, she disappeared into the wall.

"I do not think we can stand and fight for much longer!" Starfire grunted with the effort as her starbolts contested with a steady stream of xinothium that Doctor Light was blasting her way.

"Tell me about it," Red X grunted as he ducked another swing from a xinothium-powered weapon. He kicked the henchmen over the head, sending him to his kness as he encased the guy in a rubber-band like gadget.

Starfire ducked another blast, returning it with one of her own. Both shots were wild and neither opponent did any real damage to the other. Sighing in frustration, Starfire let her emotions build up and the confidence rise. With a ferocious snarl worthy of the Tamaranean warrior that she was, she pulled up a large peice of concrete from the floor. With a battle cry, she charge at Doctor Light. He raised a force field, but the force of her blow shattered it. Her eyes were glowing green with the exertion of energy, but she pressed on. Lifting the newly formed weapon above her head, she prepared to strike once more, but Doctor Light destroyed the item in her hands.

Red X then took over for her in fighting the main villain. Throwing explosives at Doctor Light's face, he temporarily blinded the man so that he could get a decent attack in from behind. Grinning slightly, he took out a bunch of his gadgets, throwing them all simultaneously at the doctor's back, sending the man to his kness at the relentless attack as he groped for more such weapons.

"Why have you stopped your attack? You have had much success with this strategy," Starfire asked.

He groaned. "I'm out of that particular type of gadget. I'm going to have to try this the old fashioned way," he responded.

Starfire then took the opportunity to pick up the slack while Red X thought of a better attack. Gathering a green ball of light in her hands, she enlarged the starbolt until it lite the entire hallway, throwing it right at her opponent and sending him flying backwards. Holding her arms up still in the attack position, she took calming breaths as she grinned at the victory. Suddenly, a red weapon came slamming down against her side, sending her flying into the wall.

Spluttering indignantly, she shouted, "I was under the assumption that you were to cover for me!" Even as she spoke, the familiar red sparks danced across her arms and side and her breathing grew irregular.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit busy a the moment," Red X shouted back sarcastically as he tangled with five henchmen at once. The henchmen were losing.

Starfire nodded, rising from her place on the ground to strike back against the henchman that had caught her off guard. Her green eyes blazing, she let loose a barrage of starbolts, burrying at least five of the henchmen in the strike. When the smoke cleared, there were only three henchmen and Doctor Light standing there as well as an angry Tamaranean princess who nobody wanted to mess with at the moment.

"Nice," Red X said, giving a rare compliment.

"Thank you," Starfire said, turning to answer him for a moment, which, unfortunately, gave Doctor Light the oppurtunity to blast her into the wall.

"oops" Red X muttered quietly as he saw her wince in pain at the unexpected turn of events.

"Let me go!" Starfire screeched as Doctor Light grasped her arm, letting the xinothium coarse over her body, causing her a substantial amount of pain.

"Ya!" Red X shouted as he let a barrage of small exploding Xs at the villain, blinding him long enough for Starfire to wrench out of his grasp. With a few quick acrobatics, he also had the remaining henchmen down for the count.

"I must admit that you are a skilled fighter," Starfire said softly, her smile still present despite her ragged breathing as she leaned against the wall for support.

"Yeah, yeah. Just lay low for a while until you can fight again, kay?" Red X replied as he let loose another barrage of gadgets.

"You think you can defeat me so easily?" Doctor Light laughed, then said something into his watch.

"Actually, yeah," Red X taunted, taking a fighting stance. He ducked as a blast of red and yellow grazed his right shoulder, tearing the material and revealing a bit of skin as red sparks danced over his entire shoulder. Faltering a moment, he didn't have time to react when another blast from behind knocked him out cold.

Starfire rushed forward to catch him as he fell, and she supported him even as more reinforcements rushed into the area. With a determined grimace, she fired starbolts with her free hand as she attempted to shield her unconscious partner.

Suddenly, a black vortex appeared next to her and Raven walked through the wall. The empath's eyes widened at the scene before her: Red X unconscious and Starfire trying to fend everyone off despite having sustained several injuries. "What's going on?" she asked.

Starfire turned to face her, eyes wild. "Raven! You must take Red X now!" With that, she let him fall into the empaht's arms.

"Star? What about you?" Raven asked, concern flooding her being.

"I will be fine. Right now you must get him to safety. I at least am still conscious, and so I will remain until you return, but please hurry Raven!" Starfire said, her fear evident in her voice even as she pushed Raven away.

"But I-"

"GO!" Starfire shouted, causing several of the henchmen to bend over and hold their ears.

As Raven phased through the wall with Red X, Starfire turned to the gathering of villains before her. Smiling with the ferocity of the warrior within, she conjured up the strength she had on Tamaran and let it all come out. With a relentless rain of starbolts and eyebeams along with strong blows with her alien strength, she rushed into battle, ready and willing to fight.

The first thing Robin noticed when Raven came back was that Starfire wasn't with her. The second thing he noticed was that Red X was out cold. Of course, she was staring back at him with a strange look, was it admiration? After all, he was currently standing on his own, throwing large chunks of cement upwards into a large hole.

She came to his side in confusion. "What are you doing?" she asked, setting Red X down beside Beast Boy.

He pointed upwards with a smile. "I discovered it when I was in the room. It's our way out without getting lost in all those hallways." A more serious expression crossed his face as he continued. "What happened? Where's Starfire?" Sure enough, the hole had greatly widened, perhaps large enough for a small green bird to pass through.

Once more, Raven felt the anger rise within her at the note of concern in Robin's voice as he spoke of Starfire. If he continued like this, she would definitely have him falling for her. She masked these emotions, though, and replied, "Red X was out cold. I had to take him first."

His face hardened. "Go back and get her. She can't fight them all by herself!" There was a note of urgency in his voice as well as urgency, betraying his feelings.

While Raven was jealous, though, Beast Boy was happy. So her Robin was stricken with somebody else, huh? Well, that was perfectly fine with him. He grinned crazilt at Raven, saying, "Come on, Rae, you'd better get going!"

She fixed him with a long stare, then turned to walk away. He watched her phase through the wall and wondered if she had even noticed his flirting. Maybe he needed to brush up on it.

"Beast Boy, can you move yet?" Robin asked, his tone harsher than he had expected it to be.

"Dude, relax. I can move my arms now," Beast Boy replied, flapping his arms for good measure.

"That's all you need. Reach over into X's belt on the right and pull out the gadget that's there," Robin said, speaking the directions very clearly.

Beast Boy did as he was told, pulling out several little X-shaped things. "What are they?"

Robin hobbled over and took them out of the changeling's hands. "You'll see." With that, he threw them upwards, each tiny device exploding on impact until the hole was wide enough for Beast Boy's pteredactol form to fly through.

"Oh..." the changeling said, nodding in realization.

"As soon as Raven gets back, I need you to fly each of us up and out. The sooner we get to a medical ward, the safer I'll feel." As if the xinothium was responding to his words, the Boy Wonder grimaced in pain as another fresh wave of pain washed over him.

"How'd that happen, anyway?" Beast Boy asked, concern entering his voice.

Robin grimaced at the memory and at the pain. "Well, let's just say that Chang's worse than I expected him to be as a captor," he said with finality, ending the conversation there. Then he looked longingly at the wall. "What's taking them so long?"

Beast Boy turned his attention that way too. He, too, had noticed that it was taking Raven a bit too long. "Yeah..." he agreed.

"Look, why don't you start getting everyone out of here. How about getting him out first?" Robin suggested, gesturing towards X, who was starting to stir.

"Yeah, sure," Beast Boy said, his eyes still on the wall as he changed into a pteredactol and lifted the petty thief out of the hole above.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Unless I can acquire a million dollars, I am sad to report that I own nothing but the story line.

Sorry it took so long.

Chapter 12

This wasn't going well. At all.

Raven ducked once more, trying to get around to Starfire, who was standing in the middle of the battle, shooting starbolts as fast as she could despite having sustained several bruises. One of the Tamaranean's eyes was forming a large purple spot and at this point her entire being was practically covered with the giveaway red sparks that meant she had been hit with the xinothium.

Raven's first instinct was to scream out in anger and attack, but that had proven to be useless, for she had only caused injury to herself and, while she was able to take out many of the reinforcements in this manner, it would prove to overall be fruitless. Her best bet would simply be to reach her friend and phase them both out of danger, but that was much easier said than done. She wished that the boys could help her, but they were all a bit useless at the moment.

Even as she thought this, though, she realized that they weren't entirely useless. As she clenched her fists, she remembered seeing many of X's gadgets laying around the battle scene. Perhaps she could use them to her advantage. "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she shouted as her eyes and hands glowed with her mysterious aura as she concentrated. The object embedded themselves into the back of Doctor Light, causing electric sparks to shoot up his spine.

Pushing through the piles of unconscious henchmen, Raven struggled to reach Starfire even as the Tamaranean began to slip into unconsciousness. As she approached, a hit from behind sent her to her knees and she rolled aside to avoid another blow as she turned to face her opponent. Having lost sight of Starfire, she bore her teeth in annoyance as she blasted the guy off of her.

Shaking her head, she struggled to retain her own sanity and consciousness as Doctor Light approached her. Rising to look him in the eyes, she glared at him, struggling to keep her anger from getting to her. She still hadn't quite vanquished the anger in her own mind, and thus she still had to worry about ripping something to shreds when she was enraged.

"You cannot possibly defeat Doctor Light!" he laughed, though his readouts told that he was down to only half of his original power.

She rolled her eyes. Obviously he could not come up with more original taunts, for he had used that particular one several times at this point, despite its annoying repititive nature. "Mmm hmm, that's why we've done it three times before," she replied with a witty smirk as she looked around wildly for her teammate, but in the smoke and rubble she could discern nothing.

"Well...you...you got lucky!" he spluttered, his confidence level dropping for a moment.

Hiding her obvious disdain for the pathetic man, she created a sheild around herself for a moment so that she could find Starfire with her mind uninterupted by any more distractions. She could feel the Tamaranean's mind slipping into unconsciousness and though she willed her friend not to let go, her spirit had been broken and the connection severed as Doctor Light broke through.

This time when she felt rage coarsing through her veins, she did nothing to hold back, rather letting the emotion consume her despite her misgivings. As if in a different world, she watched herself engulfing Doctor Light in her own dark energy and she heard his screams of terror in the back of her mind, though it didn't register to her, almost as if someone else was in control of her thoughts and deeds.

Black energy was everywhere, clouding her vision, as she was faintly aware of the coarsing pain that resulted from her attack. No doubt all she was doing at this point was to strengthen her emotions with the xinothium that she was exposing herself to. At this point, though, she was hardly aware of the pain nor were any logical thoughts going through her head as she attacked with everything she had.

"Raven?" came a voice from behind her. She whirled. Robin! Immediately, her eyes returned to normal and the dark energy ceased to eminate from her being, uncovering Doctor Light, who was crying pitifully beneath her as she turned to the Boy Wonder.

"Robin?" she replied with a questioning glance. Leaning against a wall and breathing heavily, he didn't look like the hero she loved, but she couldn't help but stop for him.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice chastising as he eyed her, her body dancing with red sparks as her mind was made faintly aware of the grueling pain.

"He hurt Starfire!" she spluttered, for that was indeed the reason for her loss of control. Immediately, though, she wished that she hadn't said this, for it caused Robin's eyebrows to shoot up and she could sense the concern running through his veins from a mile away, only resulting in her own jealousy.

"He did what?" Robin asked, his voice suddenly more firm as he straightened up. "Where is she?"

She shrugged. "I couldn't find her," she replied.

Robin's heart lept into his throat, which was actually quite painful for him to have to deal with at the moment, for he was still recovering from his recent dose of xinothium. "What?" he mouthed, trying to catch his breath both due to the surprise and the fact that all these emotions were starting to effect his physical well-being.

Tears sprung to Raven's eyes, for she feared that in his time alone, Robin had decided that his feelings were for the Tamaranean princess, not the poor dark girl with the powers that could destroy him. "I'm sorry, Robin. I'm trying, but it's hard to find her in all the commotion of thoughts, and she's not exactly sticking out in all this dust and rubble," she said, her voice almost pleading. Faintly, she was aware that she was now on her knees, the searing pain in her abdomen having seized her body now.

Pushing off from the wall, he limped around the piles of rocks and unconscious henchmen, surveying the girls' work as he did so. Often he found that he forgot what a powerful warrior Starfire could be, what with her heritage and all. Something purple caught his eye, and he headed in that direction. Unfortunately, while he and Raven had been talking, they had neglected to notice Doctor Light.

The villain jumped out in front of the Boy Wonder, his eyes wide with near-insanity as he wielded a xinothium-fueled weapon. With little strength and no gadgets, Robin had no time to react as the weapon collided with his stomach, seding him gasping to his knees. As he placed his hands in front of him to hold himself up, he could feel the faint vibrations of footsteps on the ground. How many reinforcements did this guy have?

Doctor Light grinned down at the two gasping Titans as they felt the full effects of his xinothium. Maybe his suit had been defeated, but Chang had taught him how to use the chemicals to his own advantage, and he was about to unleash that knowledge on them. His first order of business would be to put the three of them back in their place. He raised his arm, preparing to strike, when a sudden green blast knocked it out of his hand.

From her place in the rubble, Starfire's quiet, weakened voice spoke up. "You shall not harm him." With her legs trapped beneath a boulder and various wounds dotting her figure, she looked anything but intimidating. Before she passed out again, she gave Robin a huge smile, which he returned, however similar to a grimace it may have seemed.

Raven watched this transpire through blurry, teared eyes, as confusing thoughts reigned supreme in her mind. Perhaps this was Robin's decision, to love Starfire instead of her. After all, the alien princess was much better for him. She was beautiful and elegant and a brilliant warrior, whereas she had brought and end to the world and almost to her friends. Perhaps they were not meant to be.

But then why had he expressed such feelings for her if he did not really mean it? And then there was the matter of Beast Boy... She shook her head as her thoughts became more blurred. Trying to stay awake, she continued to think about him. He had been so concerned about her and who she liked, did that mean that he felt that way about her as well? Everything was becoming a tangled web of feelings, and she wished that she had never become a part of it.

She shook herself back to reality when Robin started shouted to her. His words were labored, and she saw through her tears that he was struggling to return to his feet as Doctor Light groped around for another weapon. "Get us out of here, Rae!" he was yelling.

Concentrating with all her energy, she succeeded in producing enough energy to transport three people, but she could only maintain it for so long, and the two of them were way over there... "You have to come over here!" she said through gritted teeth. "I don't have enough energy to fly over there and still maintain a big enough portal!"

He considered his decision for a moment even as Doctor Light found another such weapon. With only a moment's hesitation, he lept forward, his breathing ragged as he rushed over to where Starfire was. Mustering all the strength that he could, he lifted the rock a few inches off the ground, enough so that he could free Starfire's legs.

"What are you doing?" she screeched as she saw Doctor Light approaching from behind while Robin payed little attention.

"We have to save her. I'm not going to let anybody get injected with that...stuff!" he shouted back even as a blast of xinothium left one of his boots badly torn. Lifting Starfire's arms onto his shoulders, he dragged her around the rubble, ducking behind rocks and such as he did so.

Raven's heart sank. Maybe Robin really had fallen for Starfire. With these emotions filling her heart, she hardly noticed Doctor Light headed her way, nor did she notice that her portal was starting to shrink.

"Raven!" Robin shouted, his eyes wide with fear, something she had not seen from him in some time. Just what had happened to him recently that would force such a change?

Realizing how her emotions were effecting their situation, she tried to get a hold of herself. Absorbing her own energy, she decided to use her own body as a portal instead, stretching her energy over the two other Titans just before Doctor Light reached her. Dissolving into the ground, it was becoming increasingly hard to maintain all three of them at once. Finally reaching the other side, she let them fall, feeling herself drop to the ground as well.

He watched as Raven fell. Great, now he had to get both girls to safety. Grabbing both by their collars, he carefully steered them underneath the hole he had created in his previous cell. "BEAST BOY!" he shouted, draining himself of much needed energy.

In a flash, the green changeling morphed before him. He had been waiting on the wall as a fly. "Dude, I'm here! Where'd you go anyway? I went to come get you and you weren't there!"

Robin gave the boy a hard look, then motioned to the two girls. "Let's just say that I'm glad I DID go back," he said simply, gesturing to the two girls on the ground.

Beast Boy's eye widened and his mouth formed a small 'o' shape. Raven... What had happened to them that would have left the girls in this condition? "Dude, what did Doctor Light do?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't make it until the end of the fight, but Raven kind of depleted herself of her own energy when she was fighting, and Starfire was way outnumbered to begin with. I don't know all the details, just that you need to take them up first," he said briskly.

Nodding numbly, Beast Boy morphed into his pteradactl form and hooked his claws around Raven's shoulder. Gently lifting the unconscious girl into the air, he made sure not to let her head droop to either side as he lifted her to safety. Setting her down on the ground, he returned and did the same for Starfire.

When he returned, he was greeted to a terrifying sight. Several henchmen had entered the scene, with Doctor Light standing in the center of them. Robin was on the floor, in the crouching position, his hands on the stone floor and his breathing ragged as red sparks jumped across his chest, telling the changeling all that he needed to know.

With a cry, Beast Boy started forward, morphing into a gorilla and taking down a few henchmen before Doctor Light blasted him with something and he found himself on the ground, gasping for breath. Once, he could handle, but after having just recovered, his body wasn't exactly welcoming more attacks. With a pained snarl, he transformed into a wolf and prepared to pounce, but he was hit once more. Returning to his human form, he lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"I told you that you could not hope to win!" Doctor Light laughed.

"Just stop talking. You're an embarassment to most villains," Robin grunted, a sly smiled coming to his face even as he struggled to remain conscious.

"Be quiet! You two cannot escape, and soon the other unconscious Titans will be in my grasp too!" Doctor Light laughed evily.

"Don't touch them!" Beast Boy shouted, jumping forward with all of his strength, transforming into the green beast that he had once become when his own primal side had consumed him. It was now starting to take control once more as he defended his friends, and he took down several men before he was hit once more with a beam. This time the light and xintohium formed a cage around him, boxing him in most painfully.

"Back in your cage!" Doctor Light ordered, smiling horribly.

"Yo!" Doctor Light suddenly found himself staring into the barrel of a glowing red cannon. Red?

"You are no threat to me! I have a new suit!" Doctor Light laughed maniacally.

"Yeah? Well, say hello to my latest improvement!" Cyborg smirked, patting his arm. "Polarized matrices of high energy electrons, huh Robin?"

Robin grinned despite his condition, for he knew what that meant. Red X had obviously shared their findings. "I can't imagine where you got the idea," he said, half-laughing, though mostly sarcastic.

With that, Cyborg fired the cannon, sending Doctor Light flying backwards. As he brushed himself off, he looked right up into very angry eyes as yet another sonic blast hit him full on, sending him to his knees.

"Booyah," Cyborg smiled, helping Robin to his feet even as the group rose up once more and Doctor Light glared at the two standing heros. Well, one standing and one limping hero.

"I can take you both!" Doctor Light shouted, charging up once more.

Cyborg glanced at his instruments as he wiped sweat off of his forehead. "This isn't exactly the most stable thing to use, man. Why'd you decide to make your gadgets out of it?"

Robin smirked. "Because it isn't exactly the most stable thing to use."

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Well, we've got to take him down fast, because I don't think my instruments can take the stress."

Nodding in agreement, Robin reached to take out a birdarang, then realized that he no longer had his utility belt with him. "Shoot," he muttered, taking a fighting stance.

Doctor Light smirked. "You think you can defeat me?"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Dude, you've been using that line for forever! Think of something new for once!" he shouted through the glowing yellow and red bars surrounding him.

Growling under his breath, Doctor Light forced the bars to draw nearer to the green boy's skin, creating several small scorch marks in the material on his uniform. Yelping in pain, the changeling wisely kept his mouth shut throughout the duration of the following battle.

"Robin, do you have any way to get up there?" Cyborg asked, pointing upwards.

"Unless you can find a way to make me fly, I don't think we're going anywhere soon," Robin replied with a grimace as he once again pushed the blackness out of the corners of his mind.

Cyborg grinned as an idea came to mind. "It might hurt, but I have a way to make you fly," he said with a grin in his eyes.

Robin saw that look and backed away a bit. "You wouldn't-"

"Watch me," Cyborg grinned, hoisting the Boy Wonder up and throwing him like a torpedo into the air, seding him up onto the ground above.

"He did," Beast Boy grinned when Robin's annoyed face peeked back over the edge.

"Since you're up there, you wouldn't mind getting some of those X gadgets, would you?" Cyborg asked, his tone obviously teasing and proud of himself.

Robin rolled his eyes, though they couldn't see that he had done so because of his mask, then replied, "Yeah, let me see what I can do."

"Awesome," Cyborg replied, charging up his cannon for another attack and returning to battle.

Up above the ground, Robin groped around for a moment. The impact had stunned him for a moment, though obviously his vision had no effect on whether or not he could speak. Shaking his head to clear his sight, he finally saw the three figures slumped on the ground, spread-eagled at strange angles. Pulling himself in that direction, he knew exactly where to go for the discs he needed. After all, he had designed the suit in the first place! He didn't even disturb Red X when he stealthily opened the small pocket and, ahem, borrowed the gadgets that he needed, though there were only two left.

"Yo Robin! Are you coming back or are you too busy up there with your girlfriend?" He felt his cheeks flush, because at this point, the comment could have gone both ways.

"Well let's throw you straight up and see how well your vision fares, kay?" Robin replied in annoyance, strangely defesnvie against his feelings, though he was unsure why he did so. After all, he had professed them to be his friends, so why could he not trust them with his feelings? Yet he could never come out and say it, and for this reason he was experiencing the problems he was.

He also grabbed a grappling hook from X's belt and fired it into the wall, lowering himself to the floor and throwing several small explosives to blind Doctor Light, then throwing the remaining crippling gadgets into the smoke screen, calling, "We're getting out of here. Now. I don't care if we let him get away. We're getting out."

Beast Boy knew the cause of the distress in the Boy Wonder's voice, and he shouted back. "As soon as you get me out, I'm gone!"

Blowing out his breath in frustration, Robin replied, "Don't you think I thought of that?" With that, he brought five small explosives out of his pockets, grinning, and threw them into the cage.

Jumping back in surprise, Beast Boy let out a small yelp as they each detonated, trying to avoid them. "Dude, warn me first!" he shot at Robin even as the bars around him disappeared.

The smoke was beginning to thin, and Robin motioned them up the rope. "Come on, we need to get moving!"

They obeyed, and not a moment to soon, for even as Beast Boy disappeared from view, Doctor Light stepped into the open. A loud thump resonated through the cell as a huge rock was placed over the opening. The Titans were safe, for now.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I own nadda.

Chapter 13

His heart was still thumping wildly in his chest as the memory of those glowing red bars came swirling into view. He shivered silently at the darkness that was slowly permeating his thoughts as he struggled to mask his emotions. Truthfully, his nerves had been more than just rattled recently, and he would be trying for some time to forget about this.

An image of Robin rolling on the floor in agony rose unbidden in his mind, and he tried to push it back, but it seemed determined to make its presence known. Pain and sympathy flooded his heart and mind as he watched the scene unfold once more, with the ever-present question as to what was the cause constantly flirting with his mind.

He glanced nervously at the Boy Wonder, hoping he did not seem weak. But Robin's attention was elsewhere; he didn't seem to be paying attention to him, or anything else for that matter. His breathing was coming in shallow gasps and his mouth was working furiosly for air as his body gave an involuntary jerk and he fell to the ground, having finally succombed to the unconsciousness.

"Whoa, BB," Cyborg said, and he felt a firm hand on his shaking shoulders, The fear and discomfort must have been showing in his eyes, for the older boy's tone had switched to that of a big brother. "It's fine. He's just exhaused and wiped out from everything that's happened. You'd be tired too," the metal man continued.

He opened his mouth to tell Cyborg what he had seen, but thought better of it, shaking his head. If only that was truly the reason, but he knew better. He'd seen the glowing red bottle, seen the violent reactions to its contents... No, if they didn't get Robin to a medical ward soon, they might lose him and he would never forgive himself. For all they knew, the stuff was lethal.

With a grunt, he became a horse, allowing Cyborg to lay the unconscious figures across his back. Maintaining his balance to the best of his ability, he let them fall gently to the floor in the T-car, himself eagerly taking the front seat. "Come on, Cy. Step on it! We've got to get everybody back to the Tower!"

Without hesitation, Cyborg's foot pressed the acceleration as Beast Boy looked back to make sure that the passengers were not too jostled. His ears burned when he realized that he had placed Robin next to Raven.

His eyes opened, and he gave a slight grunt. The first thing he was aware of was the sensation of moving, which panicked him for a moment, for his head was lolling from side to side, but he calmed down when he realized that he was lying on the floor of the T-car. He tried to sit up, but it was all he could do to prop himself up with one arm, and he let himself fall back down.

To his left, he saw a peaceful face, her skin its slightly grey tone and her expression one of complete peace and tranquility, as always. She looked so elegant with her short hair framing her face as she was oblivious to the turmoil around her in her own world. He reached up to run his fingers over her face, but a small cough from the front seat told him that another pair of eyes was watching.

Turning to his right, his gaze fell upon red hair and tan skin. He thought to himself how lovely she looked, then noticed that her emerald eyes were opening, and his heart jumped with surprise and anticipation.

The first thing he noticed was how broken he looked in her eyes, how completely uncharacteristic of his normally confident self he seemed. The second thing he noticed was her eyes themselves. They were swimming pools of the purest green color in which he was easily entranced, and he forgot his own appearanced for a moment.

"Hello, Robin," she muttered dreamily, and he hardly cared that a large purple gash was forming under her left eye and blocking his view, he was now entranced in her melodious voice. Was it possible to fall in love twice in two minutes?

"Hey," he muttered back, faintly noting that there was no disapproving cough from the front seat this time.

Her brow furrowed with concern, for this was the first time that she had seen him since his capture. "It is wonderful to see that you are no longer a captive of our enemies, but you do not seem to be doing the feeling well."

With a slight chuckle, he replied, "You don't look so good yourself. Took a few hits, didn't you?"

She laughed softly and his heart raced. She propped her head up with one hand as she gazed at him. "You do not know the halving of it," she said, almost mastering another earthly phrase, but not quite. He noted that she seemed to be avoiding the subject.

He sighed contentedly. She was flirting with him, and he knew it, but he so loved this feeling of being- well- loved. As he placed his arms behind his head confortably, he replied, "Tell you what. I'll go to the stupid hostpital if you will too. That's the best offer you'll get in a million years." It was a true statement. He hated the helpless feeling that hospitals gave him.

Giggling slightly, she replied, "Of course. Robin, you are so much the fun to talk to."

He had no time to be happy with himself, or to blush for that matter, though, for although he had meant to grin cockily, a new wave of pain had hit him, this one unfamiliar to him. It felt as if his insides were trying to break through, and something was caught in his throat. Jerking upright, he began to cough violently, his entire body shaking with each breath.

Her eyes widened in concern that filled her voice. "Robin?" She looked up at Cyborg. "Friend Cyborg, perhaps now would be a good time for the stepping on it?"

He shook his head. No, that wouldn't do him much good. He needed something else. "Pull over!" he croaked.

"Okay. You're sure you're alright, man?" Cyborg asked, even as he obeyed the command.

Without answering, he wrenched the door open and jumped out onto the street, not caring that he was getting some very scared and worried looks from the citizens on the street. Almost on auto-pilot, he took a moment to regain his balance and make the world stop spinning so much, then ran and ducked into a side alley.

Once he was out of sight, he sank to his knees and dispelled any contents his stomach might have retained. All he saw was red. He couldn't get the image out of his head; when he had coughed, a red subtstance had been on his hands when he had pulled them away from his mouth, and not all of it had been xinothium. There was blood mixed in there as well.

He was faintly aware that he was kneeling in the blood and xinothium that he had coughed up and he realized sadly that this would make a hospital trip absolute, no escaping it. But he could do nothing for it, for he was still hunched over, coughing violently as footsteps approached.

He heard their gasps; he didn't care any more. He wanted this xinothium out of his body, didn't he? His body was doing a pretty good job of it so far, though he didn't exactly enjoy the after effects. A voice he would later identify as Beast Boy's shouted, "Dude, what happened?"

"Robin?" whispered a feminine voice that was obviously Starfire's.

"Yo, Robin, is that xinothium?" Cyborg asked, his comment was then followed by a chorus of gasps from the others, and Robin winced at all the attention.

"What has happened to you?" Starfire asked, and he felt a gentle hand caress his cheek. He wished that he could see once more. All he could see was this cursed red color! He wanted to look into those pools of green, no doubt now filled with tears of worry, and to tell her that everything was alright.

Beast Boy spoke up. "It might have been that stuff they gave him back at the lair," he squeaked, and the words rang in Robin's ears. He knew? What else did the boy know that he didn't know about?

"Star, I think now would be an excellent time for the stepping on it," Cyborg said, half-laughing, though his worry dominated.

He felt two pairs of arms beneath his own, dragging him backwards along the ground. He was faintly aware of several gasping citizens and he felt many more hands beneath his back.

"What happened?"

"Who did this?"

"Is he going to be okay?"

"What's going on?"

"Does this mean that we're not safe anymore?"

Starfire held her hands up to stop the flood of questions, though he did not see it. "Please, do not crowd him. We must get him to safety."

He had never felt so grateful to her. Part of him wanted to tell them to just put him down, but his physical needs overrode his pride. It really hurt him, though to be so weak in public.

Another coughing fit overcame him and his body convulsed, wrenching out of Beast Boy and Starfire's grasps. He felt his head hit the pavement, but he hardly registered the pain. His ears were still working, though, because he kept hearing the concerned murmurs of a crowd. Oh, would the newspapers get a kick out of this one, he thought sarcastically.

"Pumme down!" he managed to say as he felt hands beneath his arms once more. He waved his arms in the general direction of the people, signalling that they should stay away until he had managed to control his coughing.

"Robin?" asked a tiny voice, and he felt small hands on his mask. "Is you gonna be okay?"

He smiled wryly. "Thinkso," he breathed, and he now wished desperately that he could see who the little girl was.

"Don't leave us, Mr. Robin. We need you," she said, and his heart felt like it was soaring.

"Gotcha," he breathed, though he could see the blackness creeping in on that dumb red color!

"Perhaps I should take him now," Starfire said, and he felt strong arms lift him to his feet. He wished he could see, smile, something, but his world was spinning. "I shall fly him to the Tower, for I am much faster than the T-car, and I do not wish for you to harm any pedestrians with your speed," she said sweetly.

He was aware that his feet had left the ground, and his stomach lurched at the sensation. It was pure joy, flying, but he could harldy enjoy flying in circles, or at least that's how he felt. Then he felt warm tears dripping onto his cheeks and Starfire sobbed, "Do not leave me either, Robin."

_Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere for a while. Just don't leave me, okay? _he thought as darkness crept in around the corners of his mind, though this time he did not fight it. It would be nice to wake up in her arms anyway.


	14. Chapter 14

Like I said before, just cuz it's about Raven and Robin doesn't mean it has to be R+R...but that's not to say that they won't eventually wind up together or anything like that...and that's not to say that Robin's not gonna get thrashed in a minute...oops, I think I said too much.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14

When he opened his eyes, there were four worried faces hovering over him, the absent face being Red X, for he was busy at the computer. Sitting up was still hard to do, but he managed it, and when they saw that he was awake, their expressions changed to anger. "Why the long faces?" he said, trying to ease the tension, but comedy was never his thing.

"Mind explaining why there's six ounces of xinothium in your blood stream, for one thing?" Cyborg thundered, surprising everyone present.

"It's still there? Thought for sure I'd gotten rid of it," he muttered with a half-smile, as he glanced towards the screens around him. His eyes widened; his bloodstream was indeed a sparkling red color.

"Yeah, you'd think," Beast Boy snorted.

"Here, take a newspaper. Might entertain you for a while, because you're going to be stuck in that bed for three weeks," Raven said with a smirk.

"Seriously? No guys, I'll tell you if you don't make me stay here for that long!" Robin said, almost pleadingly. If there was one thing in this world that he hated, it was hospitals.

Beast Boy grinned. "Well, if you insist, but you're still going to have to stay here for at least one week, until you stop coughing up blood at the very least," he said, a sly grin on his face.

"Fine. I'm sure Beast Boy told you what happened back there? Or at least what he saw?" Robin said, starting off with a question to throw the spotlight on someone else.

"No, actually, we were a bit busy trying to keep you alive. Just tell the story, kid," Red X said, coming over from his place in the corner.

"Whatever. Well, I was kind of, um, given some stuff..." he started.

"More like force-fed. Took three men to pin him down," Beast Boy added with an even bigger grin.

After casting an icy glare in the changeling's direction, he cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, so they kind of fed me this vial filled with xinothium. It wasn't enough to be lethal, but the effects are less than pleasant," he said, picking up speed as he continued. "Chang planned to kidnap all of you as well, torture us with that stuff, and then let us die. That's why I wanted out of there so fast."

The others were nodding, as if his story needed their approval. "Makes sense," Cyborg muttered.

He nodded, glad that they weren't hammering him anymore. "Didn't think I'd have to tell you about it, though," he mused. "Figured you'd probably think it was just normal captive stuff. Guess I didn't plan on having a whole episode."

After several reassurances that he was indeed alright, he was finally left alone with the newspaper, which seemed to be the only thing to do around here. Sighing, he unfolded it, glad for a distraction, however small.

"City Gets Scare as Titan Robin is in Critical Condition," he read with a smirk. Well, this should be an interesting read. "The citizens of Jump City got quite a scare yesterday when Teen Titan leader Robin was seen running from the Titan's car and into a dark alley, returning afterwards in critical condition." He rolled his eyes. That was putting it mildly. "At about five o'clock, the T-car was seen driving down Melsburg Street, stopping to pull over. According to several eye-witness accounts, Robin jumped from the car, then leaned against it as if dizzy. Following these actions, he ducked into an alleyway, followed close behind by Titans Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. After some time, Cyborg was seen running into the T-car and revving the engine. Following these actions, Starfire and Beast Boy emerged carrying the Boy Wonder." Wow, they made it sound so morbid.

"'Robin was covered with blood and some other red stuff, and he couldn't see very well, we could tell, because when he tried to wave us off, he waved in the wrong direction,' says onlooker Louisa Hernandez." Oh, had he really done that? Wow, how embarassing. "When we tried to get a better look, there was a huge crowd, and he was yelling to 'pumme down!' and then he got all angry until my daughter talked to him. Then he was all happy for a while." He made a mental note of the girl's name. He'd be sure to send his thanks.

"There is still no word as to the current condition of the Titan's leader, but many citizens have expressed their concern. It is anyone's guess what has happened, and there has yet to be a reporter that can penetrate the Tower to gain more information," Robin smirked at this. No doubt Cyborg had beaten them back with a big stick.

He turned the pages some more until he was surprised to see a picture of Red X. "Petty Theif Joins Titans," the title read, and Robin was interested. "Yesterday it was reported that the Titans were seen traveling with former criminal Red X, and several eye-witnesses swear that they saw him helping the Titans as well. Why this change has occured is anyone's guess, though it may have something to do with the former connections of this character to Titan leader Robin." It continued to describe scenes in which people had seen X working with them, one such testimony including that of a little girl who had seen the original fight between Raven, Robin, Red X, and Doctor Light. "There was a colorful boy who was really brave and he was fighting this guy in a scary lightbulb suit, and this man in a creepy mask was helping, but this scary girl kept shooting dark monsters at them all!" He stifled a laugh. What description.

No doubt there would be a crowd outside the Tower by the end of the day, and he really didn't want to face anybody, but sooner or later someone would find a way to get inside. He sighed. Sometimes the press could be so infuriating...

He read on until he reached the gossip sections of the newspaper. Nothing ever interested him here, of course, and he would have merely skimmed through it if a picture of himself with Raven and himself with Starfire had not caught his attention. Great. Now what were the press saying about his love life? First it had been the whole scandal with Blackfire, which was anything but true, then they had gotten stuck on him and Starfire, then he and Raven were all over the front page when she saved the world, now what more did they want from him? He shook his head. Apparently, when one was a superhero, one got no privacy.

"It has long been rumored that Titan leader Robin has had feelings for the Tamaranean Titan Starfire, but recent events show that the Boy Wonder has been developing feelings for the empath of the team. The boy's heart seems to be torn in half between the two of them. Who will he chose? In a previous encounter, Robin was seen hugging Raven as she hugged him back, but in another such incident, he was seen being strangled by the alien beauty." With a disgusted snarl, he crumpled up that page and threw it at the wall. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

Disregarding any warning Cyborg may have given him, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and opened the door. Poking his head out into the hallway, he made sure that no one was present before he snuck outside. His room wasn't too far, maybe he could reach it before anyone noticed.

"Going somewhere?" The voice stopped him in his tracks and he cringed at his discovery.

Turning, he found himself staring back at Red X. "Yeah, to my room. I've always hated hospitals. What do you care?" he asked a bit harshly.

Red X laughed, the voice distorter making it sound more like static than anything else. "I'm stuck here, kid. Even if we make it out of here alive, I'm stuck in the hero category from here on out. After that newspaper article, I doubt I'll be accepted back into the criminal world. Ever."

Robin shrugged. "That's how things roll around here, I guess. Looks like you're going to play the hero anyway," he added with a smirk as he opened the door to his room.

"I guess that means I'm going to have to turn you in," Red X retorted sarcastically.

With a short snort, Robin replied, "More like you're going to have to work on your social skills if you're going to help this team out at all."

"Whatever, kid. I'll be conveniently absent when Metal Man finds out where you are, though."

Her mind was still racing. She'd seen the newspaper articles, and the story was still all over the news.

"Teen Titan Robin was seen wounded today-"

"Who's the lucky girl that's stolen Robin's heart? We-"

"The Tamaranean princess Starfire was seen carrying him out, and eye-witnesses say that they were exchanging quiet words of-"

"Former criminal Red X-"

She sighed, flipping through channels. The sooner this all died down, the happier she'd be. She didn't want to think about Robin and Starfire right now. She didn't want to think about what all the media was saying, that they were official now since he had let her carry him out, but it was all she could think about. Anger was becoming more and more dominant in her feelings.

"Friend Raven, are you okay? You have been seeming more, um, down than normal," Starfire asked, sitting down beside her.

Her reaction was beyond her own control; she didn't know she would do it. Anger had taken over. She growled ferally, sending a soft shock to the Tamaranean girl with her powers. Immediately, though, she apologized. "I'm sorry, Star. I don't know what came over me!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Raven, I believe that you may require time in the hospital wing as well. I was just headed there as well, for friend Cyborg says that my wounds need tending to as well. Perhaps we can keep Robin company?" Starfire asked brightly, trying to blow it off.

"I need to meditate," Raven replied, then noticing how harsh she sounded, she added, "But I guess it wouldn't hurt..."

Starfire clapped her hands in joy, saying, "Wonderful!"

"Who does the Boy Wonder like?" shouted the television in the background.

"Oh, put a sock in it," Raven muttered under her breath, reached over her shoulder and turning it off.

It felt good to be back in his room again, and he fell down onto his bed, truly appreciating how comfortable it really was. Reaching up, he gave himself the freedom of taking off the mask, something he seldom did. His clear blue eyes scanned his room and his most prized possessions, finally resting on a picture of himself with Starfire.

He was a bit confused when it came to the Tamaranean princess. Others said that it was painstakingly obvious how he felt about her and that he should ask her out already, but he harbored doubts. He could never be true to her without revealing all of the secrets that he had kept all of these years, his real name, his past, everything that they had never known about who he really was.

And yet when he talked to her, he was so easily entranced in her voice, that beautiful song that plucked at the strings of his heart every time she spoke. And those eyes! Those beautiful pools of green, so reminiscent of the green grass of a field, or the shining luster of an emerald. They were pools of open emotion, and he hoped that he would be worthy of them someday.

Yes, it appeared he had finally made up his mind, but how to break the news to Raven? Though he no longer felt that she was a possible girlfriend, he had always felt as an older brother, a protector of sorts. How would he tell her without hurting her feelings too much

And then what if he was really wrong, and Raven really was right for him and not Starfire? Too many thoughts crowded his mind, and the pain in the pit of his stomach wasn't exactly helping.

"Robin, where have you gone?" came a shreik from the hallway. Busted.

A knock on his door echoed throughout the entire room and he placed his arms behind his head, shouting, "Who is it?" as if nothing was the matter.

"Robin, what do you think you're doing?" His blood froze. It was Raven. He tried to clear his thoughts, but it wasn't working. Why did love have to be so complicated?

"I'm staring at the ceiling. Is that a crime?" he retorted.

"No, but it's going to be when Cyborg gets here!" Raven shouted back, a grin evident in her voice.

"I'm on my way out; give me five seconds!" he said, half laughingly.

When the door opened, he was greeted with two angry female faces. "You know you're not going to get better any soon if you sneak out of bed," Raven gentled admonished.

"I was in bed. My bed. I hate hospitals," he explained with his lopsided grin.

Raven's heart was soaring when she saw him. She planned to tell him later that day, but she had finally decided on her choice of boys. She had fallen for Robin, and she was going to tell him so before the day ended and before Starfire had the chance to convince him otherwise.

"Robin, you must get into the bed in the medical ward!" Starfire said with a huge smile, causing her eyebrows to narrow.

She allowed herself to be led into the hospital, but she didn't like it. Truthfully the only reason she went was to be around Robin, but as soon as she was done, she would be gone. She allowed Cyborg to check her for infection, but since the damage was in her soul, not in her physical body, she was allowed to go quickly.

Immediately, she went up to the roof. It was hers and Robin's special place that they had spent time talking on, and she found it easier to think up here than anywhere else. Beginning her chant of "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" she allowed herself to begin meditating until the time that she knew was soon: when Robin would sneak out again and come to the roof. Her knight in shining armor.

When she entered her mind, it seemed to be in total chaos. Her eyebrows raised and her defenses ready, she realized that this was Anger's work. She had enlarged her hatred with that stunt she had pulled to save Starfire, and now she was feeling the aftereffects of it.

"Scary, isn't it, how our distractions in times of need often outweigh our own intelligence in order to fulfil a duty, only to come back to torment us later on in our lives?" said a voice behin her.

Raven whirled around, but saw no one. "Where are you, Intelligence?" she asked, for she knew who it was. No other emotion talked that way.

"If you will look downwards, you may find the one you are looking for," came the reply, and Raven did so.

Raven gasped, a bit unnerved. "You're not even a foot tall!" she cried out despite herself.

The yellow-clad Raven nodded, her expression solemn. "Actually, I am exactly six inches in height, but that is not the only problem at hand. It appears that the mere annoyance that Anger used to be has become a full-fledged monster, and I mean that in the literal sense."

Nodding, Raven replied, "I could tell. Everything's bright red if it isn't destroyed." She glanced around. "Where are the others?" she asked, seeing no one else.

"They are a bit preoccupied at the moment. It appears that if Anger has not captured them, she has certainly frightened them into hiding, although I know of two emotions that might possibly still be out; one due to intense, need I say it, stupidity, and the other simply because of who she is," Intelligence replied in her usual, annoying British accent. Why she talked that way was still a mystery to her.

Raven groaned. "Bravery and Happiness?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Certainly. What other emotions would be so stupid as to stay out in the midst of all this chaos, if you'll pardon my plain speaking," Intelligence replied, her hands on her hips.

As if on cue, several footsteps were heard in the forest behind them. One pair of footsteps was walking along at a normal pace, but there was a pitter-patter of running footsteps as well. The green- and pink-cloaked Ravens emerged, both beaming.

"You're here! Now we can fight and win and save the day and everything can be a happy ending and I can go back to being shorter!" Happiness beamed. Indeed, the pink-clad emotion was about eight feet tall, not nearly as enlarged as Anger, but still huge nonetheless.

"You want to be short! Look at me! I'm two feet tall!" Bravery shouted, gesturing down at herself, though she was grinning.

"Actually, you are exactly two feet, three inches tall," Intelligence interrupted.

"I'm sorry, did I ask you, Shorty?" Bravery shot back.

"Maybe if you had more brains and less brawn I wouldn't have to!" Intelligence shot back, for once not using more sophisticated vocabulary.

"Stop being so annoying and angry and unhappy!" Happiness gushed, though her eyes flashed.

"Maybe if you had knocked some sense into Raven over there about the whole Anger thing, this wouldn't have happened!" Bravery was shouting at Intelligence.

"Perhaps if you had not interfered with my plans and pushed poor Raven into protecting her friends against the odds and only succeeding in injuring herself, I could have done so!" Intelligence shot back.

"Why do you have to be such an annoying know-it-all?"

"Why must you be so overbearingly optimistic and unthinking?"

"Am not!"

"You are indeed, and furthermore, you have no class or brains, for that matter!"

"EVERYBODY STOP TALKING!" Raven shouted, finally getting the shouting to stop. The two fighting emotions peered at her in curiosity as she took a deep breath. "This isn't going to work. You two combined don't even make three feet, and I doubt that Happiness and I can do it alone. At the very least, we need one other emotion."

"Maybe I could help," said a voice from the forest. The emotion was not evident in this voice, so they were unable to tell to whom the voice belonged.

"Come on out!" Bravery beamed, but the grin fell from her face when she saw who it was.

Confusion, clad all in brown, stepped forward. She was no longer large in size, but she was of normal height. Her eyes were downcast, and she said, "You don't have to stare at me like that, you know. I know what I did was wrong, but I was confused, isn't that my job?"

"It is your job, indeed, and thus you should have consulted one of us," Intelligence said, her eyes blazing.

"I would have if I had thought of that, but Anger was treating me so well, and everything was going wonderfully and I was so big and on top of the world..."

"I get it, but why'd you have to mess with my head?" Raven asked angrily.

"That's my job, I already told you that! Besides, if I didn't mess with your head, you'd always rush into things!" Confusion said.

Hmm, she'd never thought of it that way. "I guess I'll let you off the hook this time, but you'd better be working really hard to make up for it," she growled.

"Raven?"

She whirled. That was a guy's voice. A melodic voice. The voice she'd been hearing in her dreams of late. It was Robin. "Do you guys mind?" she asked.

"Oh, no, we'll be fine trying to round up the rest of the emotions. You go to your Prince Charming," said Confusion, and the others looked at her strangely. "What, you think I didn't have something to do with deciding who she likes?"

"It is true; you would have to relinquish control in order for her to make up her mind. It is not very easy, either," Intelligence said, surely speaking from experience, as she was the one who had to convince Confusion to give in most of the time.

Robin was standing on the roof, waiting for the empath to come out of her trance. He was wringing one of his gloves in his hand, and he wasn't sure how he was going to find the strength to do this to his best friend. When her eyes opened, he felt his heart race with anticipation.

"Hey, Robin. What did you want?" she asked, and her eyes lit up with happiness and anticipation. It broke his heart.

"Um, Raven," he began, and her expression dimmed a bit when he didn't call her by her pet name.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice a bit more urgent this time.

"Um, we need to talk, Raven."


	15. Chapter 15

Hope y'all are enjoying the consistant updates. I enjoy this story alot, especially because I get to mess with the character's heads. And yes, there will be a sequel. I'm a hopeless optimist, would I really let this story go downhill without doing something about it?

Disclaimer: Same as always. Did you think it changed?

Chapter 15

Her heart was racing as she moved closer to him, hoping against hope that what he was going to say would be what she was going to say... Perhaps it would be better if she spoke first. Putting a finger to his lips, she grinned as broadly as she was comfortable doing, then said, "I have to tell you something too, Robin, and I think you'll like it!"

His eyes widened, and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand down a bit, his expression serious. "Raven, I don't think you and I are thinking along the same lines here..."

She smiled. It must be about his emotions. He was getting sweaty and nervous. "I, but I think we are! Robin, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I think I finally made up my mind."

His frown turned to a grimace as it was his turn to put a finger to her lips. "Raven, listen. I don't want to hurt you. You're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you. But the thing is..."

She winced. "Please don't be heading where I think you're going," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He smiled weakly, brushing the tears aside with his ungloved hand. It was warm to the touch, and she was comforted somewhat by the gesture. "I'm sorry, Raven, but I think I made up my mind too."

The implications of his words hit her like a cement truck, and she felt the sadness in her heart become overbearing. "Please. No..." she said, her voice almost nothing in the air as the tears continued their course down her cheeks.

He shook his head. "I didn't want to hurt you, Raven. I didn't want to get your hopes up and then crush them. That's why I never talked about my feelings before. I didn't want to hurt you or anybody else. And then when I finally opened up, I did just that." His own mask was becoming damp along the edges.

A sudden sob escaped her chest and she lurched forward a bit, grabbing his shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly pulled him closer to herself. Their lips met, and she attempted to rectify the mistake he was trying to make. Her heart was racing, and her world dissolved around her as they kissed, and she made a mental note that he was making no attempt to break free, or was that mere surprise?

The kiss ended much too soon for her tastes, and her tears were blazing fiery trails, now staining her cloak. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open. Now to drop the last bomb. Choking back sobs, she said, "Now tell me you didn't feel anything!"

His mouth worked furiosly as he tried to make sense of everything. "You know I can't do that, Rae."

Her eyes blazed with an unquenchable fire. "Oh, so I'm Rae now?" she spat, her voice rising.

He held up his hands defensively. "Look, Raven, you're just making things even more confusing..."

"So you did feel something?" she asked, her temper dropping a bit.

"That's not what I said-"

"But it's what you meant!" she shouted, tears still flooding her cloak.

"How do you know that's what I meant!" he shouted, throwing down his glove that he had been wringing. "Raven, I was trying to make this as painless as possible, and then you had to complicate things! Why can't you just let it go?" By this time, his voice was almost a sob.

Her voice dropped. "Because I can't. I won't. I finally found someone, don't you understand?" she said, blinking back her tears so that she could see his reaction.

"But, Raven, I found someone too!"

Her anger rose up within her throat and she almost choked on it. "So I mean nothing to you? Everything you did for me? There were no special reasons for it?"

"That's not what I'm trying to say, just that now things are different-"

"What's different, Robin? I finally gave up on the idea of you and Starfire, and now you choose to finally go through with it now that you've crushed my hopes? I don't think that's quite fair, Robin!" she said, stating his name with as much contempt as she could allow herself.

"Rae..."

She whirled on him, eyes blaring their dangerously red color. This time she wasn't even going to try to keep it inside. He deserved it. "Don't call me that anymore! I don't even want to see your face anymore! GO AWAY!" she shouted, and her anger took over. As if in a dream, she saw herself blast him off the edge of the roof.

Part of her wanted to go make sure that he was okay and to apologize, but the anger inside of her was currently in control He deserved what he got. With a stiffled sob, she turned on her heels and ran down the stairs.

As she rushed through the hallways, she ran right into Beast Boy. He looked surprised, then pleased to see her, then surprised at the tears blazing down her cheeks. "Raven, what's wrong?" he asked, concern apparent in his voice.

Her sobs broke loose, and before she knew what was happening, she had pulled Beast Boy close to her and was crying into the changeling's shoulder uncontrollably. Surprised, it was all he could do to keep from smiling. She felt his hands running through her hair and heard his words of comfort, but they weren't registering. All she could feel was this heavy pain in her heart.

When she had finally cried herself dry, she pulled away from Beast Boy and wiped her tears. "Thanks. I needed that." With that, she rushed away from the surprised boy and into her room.

He was still staring at her door in surprise when she walked away into her room. What had happened to rattle Raven so badly? At first all he had known was shock at the fact that Raven was hugging him, then the realization that it meant nothing to her, but rather she simply needed a shoulder to cry on. He could still feel the wet tears that had stained his uniform, but he didn't care- she had hugged him!

He realized that there must have been a reason behind all of this, though, and his elation was short-lived. She had been running from the roof. Something must have happened up there, something horrific. As he climbed the stairs, he heard a feminine voice behind him call out, "Friend Beast Boy, where has Robin gone? And why are you attempting to reach the roof?"

He smiled. It was Starfire. He would be happy for some form of company, and besides, the two of them were experiencing similar woes with the whole Robin and Raven thing. Maybe they could get to the bottom of this. "I'm trying to find Robin too. I think he might have had something to do with why Raven was crying."

"Raven was doing the crying her eyes out?" Starfire asked, concerned.

He nodded, not wanting to go into detail. It would hurt him too much to get his hopes up about the incident and have them brought back down again. Still, he couldn't get the image of those beautiful eyes glistening with tears, leaning on his shoulder for support. "Let's just say that that's putting it mildly, Star. I think something happened between the two of them."

It was an evil thing, really, what occurred next. Both present grinned silently at each other, realizing what it would mean if the competition had been eliminated. They regained themselves, presently, to their rightful, "sorrowful" state. "That is...too bad," Starfire mused.

"Yeah..." Beast Boy echoed, barely concealing his own grin.

Starfire opened the door to the roof; it seemed heavier than normal. They soon discovered the reason why. Raven's emotions must have gone haywire. Anything that may have once been in an orderly fashion on the roof was now either on the shores below or strewn across the roof. A large metal something that had been bent so horribly out of shape that it was no longer recognizable had been covering the entrance.

"Robin?" Starfire shouted into the darkness. When she tried to listen for an answer, though, she heard nothing but the pitter-patter of rain and the sudden clap of thunder that signified the beginnings of a storm.

"Looks like those two sure went at it," Beast Boy mused, realizing how bad the situation could be for Robin.

"ROBIN!" Starafire shouted, having come to a similar conclusion. It was no use. Even if Robin had answered, she would not have been able to hear his reply due to the storm that had gained momentum and was now soaking them both.

With concerned glances at each other, they both voiced the same thought. "Split up and find him!" they both screeched at each other, each knowing that if they were the ones to find the Boy Wonder, there might not be much left.

His entire body was on fire as he strained to hold on to his grappling hook. He was lucky that his reflexes had been so perfectly honed, or he would have fallen all the way to the ground below. When he heard Starfire's voice, he wanted to cry out to reassure her that he was okay, but his teeth were gritted so hard that he felt he was going to bite through his gums.

He slipped down another few inches, his hands finally hitting the bottom. He grimaced. Another slip and he'd find out what it felt like to collide full-force with the pavement below, and that wasn't something he would look forward to after his previous experience.

Raven had seemed really upset, almost too much so for her. Normally she would be able to control such anger or sadness, but this was just abnormal for her. He had expected her to be angry and heartbroken, but not to lose control. Even after what she had done to him, kissing him, knocking him off the edge of the roof, he was still worried about her safety. She couldn't be mentally stable after that.

He felt his arms beginning to give way, and he finally opened his mouth as he let go to pierce the air with a scream as he fell. His body twisted in the air and he landed with a resounding crack.

He groaned and turned over with a wince. First xinothium, then attack of the angry girlfriends. What a day this was turning out to be. When he tried to move, pain shot up his arm. It was broken. Great. Mental note to self: Never break up with a superpowered girl with unstable emotions on the roof of a twenty and some-odd foot tower in the middle of the night.

It was his fault, he knew. He shouldn't have said anything to Raven about his emotions when he still was unsure of himself. Now things were even more confusing than they were before. When she had kissed him... He sighed. He couldn't tell her that he hadn't felt anything. When they'd kissed, he'd been on Cloud Nine. It was the most wonderful thing he'd ever experienced. But he couldn't tell her that. It'd mean he'd have to tell her about those deep pools of green that some people called Starfire's eyes and being lost in the Tamaranean voice... No, that would only bring more confusion.

"Robin?" asked a voice, and as he opened his mouth to respond, a clap of thunder interrupted him once more and the rain began to pour in turrents down on him. Great. Juuuust great. Now he was cold, depressed, hurt, AND wet. But, he was happy to note, the voice was Starfire's and it was coming nearer.

"STARFIRE!" he shouted, exerting much energy and rendering him very weak, gasping for air. (and often breathing in raindrops as well as air)

"Robin!" her voice answered with a questioning tone. He wanted to tell her where he was, but his arm was killing him and he couldn't breath. He hated being in this position. He was supposed to be the rescuer, the knight in shining armor, not her. Truthfully, he didn't mind the pain. It was his pride that was killing him.

"Star, I think he's down there," said another voice. It was a higher pitched voice, though still a boy's. Obviously Beast Boy.

"(gasp) Do you suppose he has fallen?"

"Maybe."

He sighed impatiently. Talking was not going to help anything. They needed to hurry up and come get him. He was soaked and he could feel another coughing fit coming on. Not pleasant.

It came. And it wasn't pleasant, as he had predicted. His entire body jerked upright and shook with his coughs as his white hospital clothes were stained with red once more. On top of that, his arm was jutting out at a peculiar angle, and Raven was currently -ahem- unavailable to help.

He laid back against the ground. "Hurry up," he moaned.

She heard his voice, but she could not find him for the rain was too dense. He sounded to be in much pain and she detected a bit of urgency in his voice. Sighing, she spoke tersely to Beast Boy. "Go and get our friend Cyborg. He will want to know that he has yet more injuries to address. Robin has taken quite the beating, yes?"

Beast Boy grinned at Starfire's attempt at mastering English, however feeble the smile may have seemed. "Sure thing Star. Hurry up and find him. I don't think it's very pleasant for him right now."

She smiled at him, then began her descent to the ground below. As she was, something that was hanging on the roof caught her eye. Upon further examination, she discovered that it was Robin's grappling hook. Gasping in surprise, her eyes followed the length of the wire. It was frayed in several areas where he had obviously been slipping on the edge, then it ended part of the way down. At the bottom of the tower, on the ground, was a red figure. ...red?

Now thoroughly concerned, a thousand thought filled her mind in the seconds that followed. Red? Hadn't Robin been wearing his hospital clothing? And wasn't that white? And why had he fallen off the roof in the first place? What had he said to Raven that had angered her so?

She reached the bottom faster than she could realize and was at his side in an instant. His breathing was erratic and he was wincing badly, but he still managed a large smile when he saw her. "What has happened, Robin?"

He grinned that beautiful lopsided grin that she had grown to so love. "Nothing much, just got thrown off a roof, broke my arm, and starting coughing blood again. Any particular reason that might worry you?"

She giggled, and when she did, she noted that he sighed contently and relaxed a bit. "Robin," she said, her tone growing more serious. "We must get you back to the hospital."

He groaned. "Again? I'll never escape that place at this rate!"

She giggled once more. "It is necessary so that you might regain your strength."

He smiled broadly. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he replied.

"But it does mean that you are required to go," she gently admonished.

"Fine, but only if you do something for me," he said, and she noticed that his cheeks were bright pink.

"What is it that you require?" she asked.

"When you carry me this time, try not to touch my arm, okay?"

It took her a moment to realize that he was giving her permission to carry him at all. This was a rare occassion that he would surrender his agency to be carried around. "Of course," she smiled.

"Stupid boys!" Raven shouted at no one in particular, throwing a pillow across the room and screaming in frustration. Behind her, a mirror shattered. "I hate him! Why do boys have to be so irritating! ARGH!" This time, several books flew across the shelves. "I HATE HIM!" she screamed, and this time, every bit of furniture fell right over.

She sighed. Okay, now that she had gotten that out of her system, she was not feeling hatred anymore, but sadness. It was a roller coaster of emotions for her now, and she stumbled across the hall to the bathroom and cried her eyes dry once more.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was plastered to her face in sweat and tears and she looked as if death had warmed over. Biting her lip, she wished that she could just run away...

Then she realized just how bad she was. Her emotions were taking control, and they were winning. The sooner she started meditating again, the better. Taking a deep breath, she snuck back across the hall. Upon entering her room, she cleared a space in the rubble and levitated in midair. Even that was hard, though, with all her raging emotions. Breathing slowly, she began to chant, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."

She landed with a thud in the middle of a group of Ravens. Looking around, she identified Intelligence, who had now floated up to her and was perched on her shoulder, Confusion, who was standing off to the side and often received angry glares from the rest, Happiness, whose size had dimished somewhat to only six and a half feet, Bravery, who was the only one standing beside Confusion, the orange-cloaked Rude, who was busying herself with tickling Bravery every two minutes, and the grey-cloaked Timid, who had grown to about twelve feet in size since her last visit.

"Glad you finally decided to join us," Rude said, giving her a hard stare.

"I was...busy," she replied, looking away for a moment, not wanting to talk about it.

"What did you do? I SHRUNK!" Happiness shouted, but was then distracted by a bright red butterfly and Bravery had to go after her.

"Yes, and I grew. But I actually know why," Timid said quietly.

Raven glared. "Where's Confusion?" she growled.

"To your left, cowering in the trees. She knows what happened too," Intelligence whispered in her ear.

"Thanks," she muttered, then stormed in that direction.

"Um, hi?" Confusion mumbled, afraid, as Raven stepped in that direction, a murderous look on her face.

"This is all YOUR fault!" Raven screeched, throwing the brown-clad girl into a tree with her powers. "YOU said that you had a part in all of this love stuff, YOU blinded me with confusion so that I didn't see that he was leaning the other way, YOU prevented me from telling him earlier!" She was about to continue, but the other emotions grabbed her arms and held her back.

"Fighting and violence will solve absolutely nothing, Raven," Intelligence admonished.

"I don't care. Do you know what I just went through!" Raven shouted, still snarling.

"I'm sure breaking up is disastrous, but all you're accomplishing right now is to enlarge Anger, and that is certainly not a positive thing. Perhaps the two of you should put aside your differences for the time being," Intelligence continued.

"Yeah, and then you can thrash her. We'll help," Rude added.

Raven grinned. "Can't we do it now?"

Bravery shook her head. She had finally recovered Happiness. "As much as we'd love to, we can't."

"Everyone's fighting, and we're getting nothing done," Timid observed sadly in as quiet a voice one could manage at that size.

"I would adore being able to begin, but unfortunatly size is quite a hinderance in initiating such a movement, and it seems I am not very well listened to," Intelligence muttered.

"Um, hello?" called a voice from the trees.

The Ravens strained to see who it was. "Who is it?" Raven shouted.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Rude said at the same time.

"HI THERE!" Happiness screeched at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Bravery shouted, her fists held high.

"Who are you?" Confusion asked, puzzled.

Intelligence spoke up quietly. "I do not believe you will quite enjoy this encounter," she whispered.

"What, do you know who it is?" Raven whispered back.

"Perhaps I should not divulge that information at this time," Intelligence said, looking down at the ground, which was quite a long way for her.

"What are you talking about?" Raven whispered back.

The voice interrupted again. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to help!"

Happiness beamed. "Help is welcome!"

Raven cocked an eyebrow. "Depends. Who are you?"

A light-pink-cloaked Raven stepped out, her hair done up in a fancy way, and a beautfiul complexion. Immediately, Raven knew who it was. "LOVE?"


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 16

He was still in the hospital, hooked up to even more machines as Cyborg treated his broken arm. It was starting to mend itself now, but it still hurt. So did his pride and emotions, which were still jumbled up. He kept repeating the same thing over and over in his mind: she kissed me! She kissed me!

And yet he could not deny the joy that filled his heart when he even thought of his Starfire, and there was no turning back now that he had told Raven of his intentions. For once he'd like to hook up with a girl and have it stay that way!

"Looks like you're going to be here for a few more weeks than you thought," Cyborg said as he played with several different instrument.

He glared at Cyborg through his mask. "You mean I'm stuck here?"

Starfire sat herself down beside him, and he felt a little bit better. "I am afraid Cyborg is right. But I will bake you the earthly cake and the chocolate which seems to do very much the cheering up and I shall come to visit you daily until you are better!"

He grinned inwardly. Maybe hospitals weren't so bad after all. Leaning back against the pillow, he gave a crooked smile, saying, "Alright, Star, I give. I won't sneak out any more, I promise."

Her eyes lit up and she almost hugged him, but realized that his arm was still broken and thought better of it. "That is wonderful!" she said, choosing to beam brightly instead.

He grinned back, though he would have given anything to have been able to hug her back, but there was the risk of being stuck here for a longer time, and no cake or hugs could make him feel better about that. "So, what about Doctor Light? Any news on him?" he asked, turning his attention to Red X, who had previously been standing in the corner silently.

"He's still at it, apparently. Apparently he's been stocking up on xinothium and there was a recent attempt to bust Change out of jail," X replied casually.

Robin sighed. He wished he could help them fight, but they were taking precautions now. He'd been informed: the door would be locked at night as well as the windows, and he wasn't allowed to have his belt back. He was going to stay in this room whether he liked it or not, and he was definitely leaning towards "not". "I wish I could tell you more. Just be careful. Xinothium isn't very pleasant," he said finally.

Starfire paused, as if deciding whether or not to do something, then reached out a hand and softly pushed his hair back. "Do not worry about us, Robin. We will be fine."

He could hear X's stifled snicker and could plainly see the smirks on Beast Boy and Cyborg's face...Beast Boy seemed really happy, for some odd reason. But he didn't care. He was going to have to tell them sooner or later anyway. "I know you will, Starfire," Robin replied, reaching up and grabbing her hand as she gently lifted it from out of his mess of hair.

That grin was perhaps the widest he had ever seen her manage, which was saying much since this was Starfire. She jumped up happily, exclaiming, "I shall now go and back the cake!" With that, she had left the room, though he noted she was in extremely high spirits now.

Red X finally let out the laugh he had been holding in. "When are you gonna tell her, kid? About you and the goth girl?"

Robin shot him a hard glare. "Whatever might have been between us isn't there anymore. Why do you think my arm's in a sling?" he asked crossly.

This only made X laugh more. "She took it well, then?"

He crossed his arms over his chest angrily, which was quite a feat to accomplish, considering the sling was in the way. "You have no idea," he muttered darkly.

Beast Boy broke in. "So, dude, when are you going to actually ask her out?" he asked. The question was innocent enough, yet there was unneccessary eagerness in the young Titan's voice as well...What could be the reasoning behind that?

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Robin said crossly, angry that his teammates were trying to pry into his personal life. When he was ready, gosh darn it!

"Come on, man. There have been sparks between the two of you since we first met the girl! Come on, where are you going to take her?" Cyborg cut in.

It finally dawned on Robin why Beast Boy was acting this way. He was HAPPY that the competition for Raven was gone. He WANTED Robin to break the news to Raven. Well, if the changeling was going to give him a hard time, he'd just play the game right along with him. "And what about you, Beast Boy?" he asked, glad that he now had a way to change the subject.

"Huh?" was the changeling's reaction.

He grinned teasingly. "Oh, come on. Don't think I didn't notice the way you fawn over Raven. Now that I'm out of the picture, when are you going to move in? Or are you afraid she'll reject you?"

Beast Boy puffed out his chest in indignation. "Don't give me that! Raven loved you, and I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about either!"

He'd struck a nerve, it seemed. He'd better choose his words carefully from here on out, for he could see the hurt building in the changeling's eyes. "Sorry, Beast Boy. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just if you can bug me about my personal life, why can't I do the same to you?"

Beast Boy was stumped. He'd been bested, and he knew it. "Fine!" he stormed, sitting down heavily on a nearby chair and glaring at everyone he made eye contact with.

Cyborg gave a hearty laugh. "You had us going for a long time, man. We weren't sure what the deal was between you and Raven, and Star was starting to get nervous."

He raised an eyebrow. "She was?"

The metal man grinned. "Yeah, she knew you and Raven had sparks, and her chances were growing slim. Glad you finally came to your senses!" he laughed.

"I suppose..."

"Kid, if you couldn't see that the girl was flirting hopelessly with you, you're a bit blind," Red X chimed in.

"Would you mind staying out of my personal life?" he snapped, causing all three boys around him to jump in surprise.

"We were just kidding around, man," Cyborg replied dully.

Robin sighed. He shouldn't have exploded, he knew, but he had a lot on his mind and they weren't helping him any. "I know. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just stressed."

Beast Boy yawned. "Dude, we're all tired and stressed. It's, like, three o'clock and we're still up. I say I need my beauty sleep!" With that, the changeling marched off.

Cyborg shook his head in amusement. "I guess we should all turn in, then," he said, switching off the various instruments. "Lock the door behind you, would you, X?" he called back as he wandered across the hall to his room.

Red X remained in the corner. "You need to control that temper, kid," he remarked once Cyborg's resounded footsteps had faded into the night's dismal air.

He sighed in annoyance and waved his hand in the air as if he could dismiss the comment as he would do a mosquito. "Yeah, yeah."

X persisted. "I mean it, kid. You and those emotions are going to dig your own grave one of these days."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean if you get too involved in how you feel, you'll be blind to what's right in front of you," X shouted. He paused, then added, "You're a good fighter, kid. An equal rival. I'd hate to see you throw it all away for some girl. Or some girls."

"Didn't know you were a philosopher," he replied darkly.

"I'm not. I just know that it's not a good idea to go messing around with things like that, like emotions. Especially not in the middle of a catastrophe. It never ends well."

"Thanks for the advice, now would you mind leaving me alone?" he asked sullenly.

"Whatever, kid. But I'm telling you that when something bad happens, you're going to have to keep your head. Or else," X cautioned as he slipped out the door.

"Whatever," he shot back even as he heard the scrape of a key in a lock.

He sighed, leaning back against his pillows. Everybody wanted to have a part in his personal life, it seemed. But he knew that there was some truth in what Red X was saying. He needed to control himself.

"Robin?" came a voice from outside. A feminine voice. Starfire.

"Star?" he replied with his own question.

Though he couldn't see it, she was grinning, though her expression was confused. "May I enter?"

He grinned cockily. "If you can find the key," he replied.

Immediately, there was the scrape of a key against the lock and the Tamaranean entered, still wearing the same confused look. "Robin, I have a question."

He shook his head. What we he supposed to explain this time? "Okay, shoot."

She plopped down beside him, cookbook in hand. "What is a tsp?"

"A what?" he repeated. "A tusp?"

She nodded. "Yes, a tsp."

Confused, he asked, "Where did you read that?"

She pointed to one ingredient. "See? It says vinegar: two tsp. What is a tsp?"

He laughed. "Ohh..."

She gave him a funny look. "What is so amusing?"

"Star, that's an abbreviation for a teaspoon."

"Oh," she said, though she still wore that same confused expression.

"A teaspoon's a unit of measuring," he replied laughingly.

Her eyes lit up with understanding as she rushed out the door. She emerged a few minutes later with a teaspoon in hand. "Is this what you speak of?"

He sighed contentedly. At least some things never changed. "Tell you what, Star. Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep now and I can help you cook in the morning?"

"But you are not allowed-"

"The early morning. When no one else is up," he interrupted with a twinkle in his eye and a cocky grin.

"Oh," she said, realization dawning on her.

There was silence as he closed his eyes, then peeked one open to find her staring intently at him. "Star?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she replied, as if waking up from a dream.

"You're staring at me," he said simply, a bit deterred.

She smiled innocently. "I was just doing the thinking."

"About what?"

"About us," she replied quielty, as if saying the word would send him away from her.

"What about us?" he asked, though he did notice the slight twang in his throat when he spoke the word.

She leaned back against the pillow so that her eyes could stare into his own masked ones. "I was wondering how these experiences have changed your own feelings."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, I was confused at first. Promise you won't get mad at me, okay? You have to promise that before I tell you the whole story."

Though she raised an eyebrow, she nodded her agreement. "Continue."

"Well, I was having some trouble with my, um, feelings. And, um," he tugged at the neck of his white hospital clothing. "well, I was confused about love."

"Love?"

"Well, yeah. It's a really confusing thing, Star! And I wasn't sure where the line between best friends and relationships was, and it was starting to scare me."

Her eyes widened at this revelationg, for she had not thought that simple emotions could scare her fearless leader. Surely the Boy Wonder would not have these troubles! "Scared?" she repeated, a bit unnerved.

His expression softened. "Only for a little while. But back when I kind of, um, lost my lunch and that little girl and you... It made me think, Star, and I realized, well," he tugged harder at the neck. This was it. He was going to have to tell her sooner or later, and he was too far gone to turn back now. He paused, letting the sentence trail.

"Yes?"

"I realized something about myself. I realized that the answer was right there all the time for me and I didn't see it," he said. Surely she was picking up on what he was trying to say here? No good. She was going to make him come out and say it. "I realized that, well, Star, can I tell you something?" Wow, this collar was getting hot.

Her eyes were brighter than ever now as she leaned forward in anticipation. "Of course," she replied.

"Star, I think I... Do you think...? What I'm trying to say is..." Blank. His mind was a total blank. And he was tugging at the collar like it had something to do with it.

"Go on," she urged.

"Star, would you...? I know... Star I think I...I think I love you." Ha! He'd said it. Stupid collar didn't mess him up after all! Wow, that was harder than it should have been.

Within the next five miliseconds, her expression brightened far greater than the sun's, and she jumped out of the bed and spread her arms wide, touching back down beside him to plant a kiss firmly on his lips.

THIS was close to one of the greatest things that had ever happened to him. If only they could have been in a more romantic setting. But he soon forgot about such things as his mind became lighter than air and his heart soared. They broke apart way too soon, he thought, but he was still smiling and her eyes were still glistening.

"Mm, that was nice," he murmured dreamily.

"I am glad you enjoyed it. As did I," Starfire replied happily.

"Star?"

"Mmm?"

"You're crushing my shoulders." Darn alien strength, ruining moments.

It's me, robbiepoo, not my story. haha. Just to let you know, since I normally don't write stuff down here. Sometimes it can take so much to say the simplest things. haha. Chapter 17 is on its way!


	17. Chapter 17

Two things. One, this has fluxuating shipping. Mainly Rob/Star, but that's kinda obvious at this point. Like I said, just cuz Raven and Robin are the main characters doesn't mean I have to ship 'em. Two, I can ship whomever I want. Gimme a break.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Chapter 17

"LOVE?"

The light-pink-clad emotion nodded silently. "Hey there," she said quietly.

Raven's temper flared a bit, and Confusion was forgotten for a moment. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Trying to help," she muttered.

"Yes, you have certainly done a wonderful job of it so far. How do you plan to rectify something that you instigated?" Intelligence scoffed.

"Yeah, you're the one that started this whole mess!" Bravery shouted, as if she could be intimidating at two feet tall.

"I've half a mind to incinerate her on the spot, were it not for the problem that is posed by my size," Intelligence muttered in her ear.

"I realize that this whole thing is my fault, and now I want to help. In case any of you haven't noticed, we put Robin in serious danger!" Love said.

"Not to mention, we kind of tore Beast Boy's heart apart," said a voice behind Love.

"Who's that?" Happiness asked.

A tiny head poked out from beneath Love's cloak and grinned. "I'm Love!"

"HUH?" all other Ravens present exclaimed simultaneously.

"I believe I understand what is going on here," Intelligence said matter-of-factly.

"Lucky for you. I'm still stuck on the fact that there's a head in Love's cloak," Confusion said.

"It's got a body attached to it, nimrod," Bravery pointed out.

"Please, everyone, let me introduce you to my counterpart, Love," Love said.

"Now I'm really confused, and not just the way I am normally," Confusion said.

"What's going on?" Raven demanded.

Love backed away for a moment, then recovered herself and replied, "You're feelings were divided, and when you felt more towards Robin but still had feelings for Beast Boy, I was divided between the two of them...literally."

Little Love piped up. "I'm the Beast Boy side!"

Raven scowled at this newfound emotion. "Pipe down, Shorty."

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with being...vertically chalenged!" Intelligence whispered tersely in her ear.

Love smiled and gently ruffled her counterpart's hair. "This little Love has kind of grown on me, if you don't mind my saying so, though whenever it comes down to who to like, we're divided. But I wouldn't trade her for the world. It's like having a little sister!" she gushed fondly.

"Okay, the two Loves has been explained, but why did you even bother to show up here?" Raven huffed angrily.

"I wanted to help. Besides, right now I'm probably the strongest emotion here," Love said quietly.

"I will not disagree with that. Despite Happiness' size, she has little influence. Confusion takes too long to decide what to do in a battle, and the rest of us are a bit challenged in the division of size," Intelligence whispered.

"Alright, I'll bite. How do you plan to help?" Raven asked.

"Well, it's going to take a while on your part, and some sacrifice," Love began.

"What are you talking about?" Raven snapped.

"Raven, we have been discussing this for some time. See, in order for you to gain full powers in here, you must go under, fully," Timid spoke up.

"But that's dangerous. If I were to lose in here, I'd be-"

"We know, and that's why we haven't asked you to help yet, but things have gotten worse around here. Haven't you wondered where some of the other emotions have gone?" Bravery said.

"They're captured by Anger! But we don't want to think about that. Not now. I know! Let's play something!" Happiness gushed.

Raven rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips and stopping Happiness by grabbing the back of her cloak and jerking her back. "This is serious. Listen."

"Why do people have to be party poopers?" Happiness pouted.

"I'm not! Why am I trying to tell you? Anyway, Loves, here's the thing. The three of us have enough power to do something, but not win. We need to recruit more emotions. Do you think you guys could handle that while I'm away?" she said quickly.

"I think so," Timid said.

Happiness nodded animatedly. "Of course we can!"

Raven smiled. "Good. I'll be back soon. I just have to go tell the other's what's going on."

When she opened her eyes, she glanced around in dismay at the mess she had created. "No time to clean it up now," she muttered as she rushed out of the room and into the hallway. She was so rushed that she accidentally ran right into Red X!

"What's your hurry?" he asked laughingly as she picked herself gingerly back up.

"I need to call the others to meet together. Tell them to meet in the hospital room so Robin can hear too," she replied, feeling a twinge of sorrow when she spoke the Boy Wonder's name.

"Didn't you two just have a spat?" he asked, a bit confused.

She nodded slightly. "Yes, but this is bigger than that. I need the others to hear what I have to say."

He raised an eyebrow. "That important?" he asked.

She huffed in exasperation. "You're just like him, you know, stubborn...and unmoving...and cocky..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about Robin right now.

"Alright, calm down already! I'll go get Metal Man and the green kid and see what I can do. You go get the alien chick, okay?" Red X said, raising his hands in defense.

"Good," she muttered at his receding figure. She phased through the walls; it was so much more simple that way. She found herself in Starfire's room, but the Tamaranean princess wasn't there. She glanced at the clock. Only three thirty. She should be in bed. Unless she was in the kitchen baking some sort of "get well" treat for Robin. She grinned. Perhaps her revenge could be exacted indirectly just by watching him taste a Tamaranean delicacy... No such luck. The girl was not in the kitchen.

A shadow crossed her eyes as it dawned on her where the alien princess might be. She had to fight down the monster once more as she rushed down the hallways to stop right in front of the hospital door. Sure enough, the door was unlocked, and she thought she heard faint snores...from two people.

She peeked inside. There was her Prince - , no, there was Robin, sleeping peacefully in his bed underneath the white covers. Beside him was the Tamaranean beauty, sleeping with her head extremely close to Robin's and her legs almost dangling off the side. She had apparently fallen asleep while talking to him. Raven noticed with dismay that the Boy Wonder's arm was around Starfire - and both were smiling as they slept.

She couldn't be expected to contain her emotions. Something exploded. Something very close to those two sleeping people. And it fell over right next to their bed, waking the two immediately. Both jerked awake and looked around wildly for whatever had caused the noise. Raven stepped inside, wearing an angry expression.

"Oh, hello Raven," Starfire said, smiling as best she could. "You were the cause of the explosion?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, Star," Raven said through gritted teeth, this time trying extremely hard not to rip the Tamaranean's head off.

"Raven-" Robin began, but was immediately quieted by the look she gave him.

Red X ducked his head inside. "I found the two deep sleepers. Next time, you wake up the-beast-who-snores. It's extremely hard to wake him up. And he talks about the strangest things in his dreams... What's going on here?" he asked when he realized that everyone was giving him a hard glare.

"Nothing," Raven said quickly before either of the other two could speak up.

"Look, Raven, I know you're upset-" Robin started.

"UPSET? You of all people know I'm upset, but I'm trying to control it so I don't blast somebody off the roof again! That's why I'm trying to get everyone together to meet!" she shouted. Another computer shattered, to Cyborg's dismay.

"Raven..." Starfire began soothingly, but she pulled away, pulling her hood up.

"Look, I need to talk to you guys about something," she said finally.

Beast Boy nodded. "We're all ears," he said, grinning. She tried hard not to get mad at him, as he was only trying to be nice.

She blew out her breath. "I don't know where to start. Well, for one thing, in case you guys haven't noticed, my emotions have been on the brink lately-"

"We noticed," Red X said, no doubt grinning broadly behind his mask.

She fixed him with a hard glare. "Anyway, I know what I need to do to fix it, but it will require some sacrifice on my part," she continued.

"Sacrifice? What are you talking about, Raven?" Beast Boy asked, concern in his voice.

She sighed. "Can you let me finish?" she asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice, but not doing a very good job.

"Sorry," the changeling muttered, backing away.

Sighing, she continued. "Here's what's going on. When I tried to get Doctor Light with my powers, part of my soul was effected by the xinothium."

A collective gasp could be heard from all present. "No way," Cyborg muttered softly.

Raven smiled wryly. "Exactly. It enlarged some of my emotions and shrank others. Love, Anger, Happiness, those were all enlarged. Bravery, Intelligence, they were shrunk. I need to restore balance, but it requires me to go fully into my mind, meaning that if I lose, I don't come out. Ever." She let the statement sink in.

"We're coming with you," Robin demanded.

She shook her head. "You can't. Especially not you; there's no telling how my emotions would react to any of you being present. I need to do this alone to keep from endangering myself further."

Robin consented, though he managed to huff, "I still don't like it."

"That's why I devised a way for you to know whether or not to come after me. Cyborg and I have been working with mechanics for some time, and I had a little help from Intelligence back before she was shrunk in doing this."

Cyborg nodded. "I think I know what you're talking about."

She returned his smile. "Exactly. I devised a scanner that will tell you if my mind's frequencies are being disrupted. In other words," she added before Beast Boy could ask, "it tells you guys whether or not I'm stuck there. If the line goes flat, I'm stuck and, as a last resort, I give you my permission to come help. Beast Boy and Cyborg know the way in. Ask one of them."

When all eyes turned to them, both boys grinned uneasily. "Long story," Cyborg muttered finally.

Raven rolled her eyes, returning to her narrative of the story. "Anyway, I'll be gone for some time. Don't try to wake me. Good luck on your own," she said shortly, turning to leave.

Beast Boy grabbed her arm. "Wait!" he cried.

She turned to him. "What?" she asked.

Green is a weird color when mixed with pink, as she found out when the changeling blushed. "Aren't you going to give us any parting words? In case you never come out?"

She shook her head. "They wouldn't be very nice at this point. Right now I'm pretty much mad at the world."

Beast Boy backed up a bit. "Okay, but can I talk to you then?"

She sighed. "Sure. Whatever."

He pulled her out into the hallway eagerly, closing the door to the hospital room behind him. "Raven, can I talk to you?"

"You already asked me that. That's why I'm standing here," she pointed out.

"Right," he blushed, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda noticed, well, I kinda eavesdropped, and I kinda heard you talking to Robin..."

Her eyes flashed. "What all did you hear?" she snapped.

He backed away futher. "Not much, just enough to figure out that you couldn't decide between me and him, and, well, I was just wondering if you were still having that problem."

She held her anger in as best she could. "Not really. I had decided on Robin, but I guess I was too late to tell him. He had already completely fallen for Starfire," she practically spat the Tamaranean's name.

"So, you don't have any more feelings for me?" he asked, suddenly very sad.

She felt a twinge of sorrow and pity. Darn Little Love was playing with her again. "That's not what I said, Beast Boy-"

"It's what you meant."

There was an akward silence between the two of them as they sat there, both detemined to stare at the floor. Finally, Raven spoke up again, "Look, Beast Boy-"

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. I just hoped-"

She put a finger to his lips. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but she was. "Shh. Look, just in case you're right and I don't come back out, I want to tell you that there is still room in my heart even after this latest heartache." Before he could say anything more, though, she turned and walked down the hall, leaving a dumbfounded Beast Boy standing with his mouth open.

Then, it occured to him. She could hear his happy cries fading down the hallway as she walked. She grinned. At least somebody was happy.

"There you are. We were starting to wonder where you went!" laughed a voice as soon as she entered Nevermore.

"Hush, Bravery. I'm not fully in yet," she replied through gritted teeth. She could still feel the cold metal on her arms and legs that meant the sensors were ready, and she didn't want to take any chances until she was fully under.

"Okay. Let me go tell the others not to bother you." Actually, the opposite occurred. Upon finding that Raven was on her way under, the other emotions came rushing over to talk.

"Concentrate. Don't let these fools break your concentration," Intelligence warned as she flew up next to Raven's ear.

"Cool it, Smarty. We can talk if we want to," Rude replied.

"Hush! I told you guys she was here so you WOULDN'T bother her," Bravery said, annoyed.

"Maybe if you'd all leave me alone, I could actually get through," Raven said sarcastically.

"Sorry," all the emotions muttered simultaneously.

After several long minutes of silence, Raven's eyes finally opened. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It's done."

The other emotions breathed sighs of both relief and admiration. "We're proud of you," Love said, putting a hand on her should.

She brushed it off. "Yeah, yeah, let's just get everyone back to their normal size before I lose my mind."

"You may not be quite aware how very close you are to doing just that. Anger has been creating chaos in here since you left. But I did notice Little Love grew a bit while you were gone. Perhaps you would like to elaborate?" Intelligence asked slyly.

"Stay out of it," Raven replied darkly.

"We're you're emotions. We can't stay out of it," Rude pointed out.

"Thanks. That cheered me up."

"Let's just get started, alright?" Confusion broke in.

"Bravery, Intelligence? Game plan?" Little Love said, surprising everyone with her sudden change in demeanor.

Not only was he surprised by his talk with Raven, he was amazed that she had believed him. He hadn't really eavesdropped. It had been a shot in the dark, and he had been right. She did have feelings for him!

He was so elated that he hardly noticed where he was going before he bumped into Starfire, who was headed to the hospital. He glanced at the clock. Five o'clock. He'd been jumping around for an hour and a half. What was she doing out this early anyway?

"My apologies, friend Beast Boy. I did not see you," she gushed, extremely happy about something.

"Hey Starfire. Where are you headed?" he asked amiably.

"I am going to the kitchen to bake a cake!" she said happily.

"The kitchen's that way," he pointed out.

She faltered in her smile. "Well, I wanted to stop by and say hello to Robin..." she began.

He held his hands up. "It's okay, Star. I'm in a good mood right now, so you and Robin can sneak out and go cook if you want to, I won't tell anyone."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Raven has done the talking to you?"

He nodded. "We talked enough to tell that she may feel something for me!"

She grinned, giving him a bear hug. "That is wonderful news, Beast Boy!"

"Yeah. Now you go ahead. I promise I won't tell," he said. "Hurry up before I change my mind and come to my senses before Cyborg pounds me."

Starfire hugged him once more. "You are a true friend, Beast Boy!" she gushed before rushing off.

He shook his head. She and Robin were the perfect couple, now that they were finally together. He was happy for them, and excited to have a chance with Raven. He just hoped everything would work out for him as well...


	18. Chapter 18

I can ship the way I WANT to, thank you very much. If you have a problem with it, that's fine with me, but please don't tell me so. I want people to respond about the story, not try to engage in a debate about who I should ship... For future reference, there will be little to no shipping for a while in the sequel, except for select few chapters. Read it for the story and emotions, okay? And leave me out of shipping debates. I will read outside my shippings, so I can't see why people get so worked up about it.

Ahem. Now done with the rant.

Thanks for the advice and responses.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 18

He had to admit; only getting a few hours of sleep was definitely worth cooking with Starfire. Even though he couldn't use his arm and he had to sit down every fifteen minutes to rest, he thoroughly enjoyed himself. That morning, he laughed, a true, deep laugh, when Starfire made him taste-test the batter but missed and splattered him in the face. The flirtatious food fight that followed was insanely fun, though it was hard to clean up after.

As the two sat on the couch waiting for the timer to go off, the laughter slowly died down as they tried to find something to watch on television. Of course, this early in the morning, there is hardly anything on but mindless cartoons, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. As Robin gulped in more air to calm down, he smiled at the girl sitting beside him.

"Now you are doing the staring at me," Starfire blushed.

"Mmm? Oh, sorry. I was off in my own little world," he replied.

"May I inquire if I was in it?" she asked, blushing.

He smiled encouragingly, taking her hand. "I don't think you have to ask."

She giggled. "Robin, I am glad that you and I are finally the together," she said.

He was going to say something back, but the cooking timer went off. He sighed, going to the counter and removing the cake from the oven. She came to his side and took a deep breath. "It smells wonderful," she whispered.

He set it down on the table as she went to find the icing. He was surprised that they had progressed so far so quickly. They were meant for each other, it seemed, but the warning Red X had given him lurked in the back of his mind, though he was trying his best to pay no heed to it.

"Robin?"

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts as he turned to face the stuningly beautiful Tamaranean. "Sorry?" he asked innocently.

"You were 'in your own little world' again, were you not? What were you thinking of?" she asked as she struggled to figure out how to open the icing decorating caps.

He laughed quietly, taking the decoration from her hand and showing her how to open them. "It's nothing, just something a friend once told me. And then, of course, I was thinking about you as well."

She laughed as well, beginning to ice the cake itself. Her laughter resonated in his very soul, it seemed, and his heart began to soar. "I see," she said.

He grinned. "Why don't I help you?" he asked, coming around behind her. He placed his hand on her wrist and gently guided it along. She giggled at his soft touch as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder, drinking in the moment.

"This has truly been one of the most magical mornings of my life," she said, resting her head on his own. The icing had stopped and now they were just standing there.

"Same here, Star. Same here. This was a lot of fun. Let's do it again when I don't have to sit down all the time," he replied, smiling.

She laughed once more, making his spirits soar again. "That sounds like the fun."

The cake was done. The red letters - S and R - stared up at the newly-formed couple as they stared into each other's eyes. Her hands were slowly moving up to his mask, he was aware, but he didn't care. Of all people, he wouldn't mind if she saw his eyes.

Suddenly, the alarm went off, red lights flashing and all. Surprised, the two broke away as Robin ducked to ensure that the others wouldn't get mad at him for sneaking out again. Too late. Red X had teleported himself here.

"Kid, I though I told you-"

"Save the advice," he said shortly.

Cyborg ran in afterwards. Before he could get too angry with Robin, though, he read the information. "Doctor Light's trying to break Chang out of jail!" he shouted in surprise.

Beast Boy ran in as well, surprisingly chipper this early. "What's going on?" he asked, now very alert.

"Light's gonna break out Chang," Red X said shortly as he followed Cyborg outside.

"Oh!" Beast Boy exclaimed in surprise as he followed, leaving the two alone once again.

"I must go now, Robin, but when I return we shall eat the cake!" Starfire said cheerfully as she rushed out the door.

His hands involuntarily came up to his mask as he stared at the closed door. S and R stared back at him, only reminding him of X's warning, and he pulled a wry face at it as he trudged back up the hallway. True to his word, he'd stay in the hospital wing- for now. He got back under the covers and went to sleep, glad that this time he was not tormented with his indecision.

He awoke two hours later when a knock came to the Tower door. He rushed to go open it, which was quite a feat. First he had to untangle himself from the covers, then he had to run down several flights of stairs... Needless to say, the Boy Wonder was quite out of breath by the time he got to the door.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he opened the door. A weakened Beast Boy fell on top of him, and he staggered with the weight. He dragged the changeling to the couch and ran to fetch some ice to address the many bruises the young Titan was sporting. The boy's breathing was irregular, and his eyes were wide with pain and fear.

"What happened?" he demanded as soon as Beast Boy seemed well enough to talk.

"Chang found some backup," was all the changeling said before wincing once more.

"What happened? Where's Starfire and the others?" he asked, his voice urgent.

"Red X, Cyborg, Star, all gone," the changeling gasped, his eyes still wide as he recalled everything.

"Where?" he pressed urgently.

"Cyborg...he's in pieces. Went to go find 'em, but couldn't..."

"What about Red X?" he asked, not liking where this was going.

"Ambush...couldn't be helped...tried...gone...can't find him..."

"You can't find him? What do you mean you can't find him?" Robin asked, his voice rising as a chill ran down his spine. Things were not looking good.

"He fell down a hole...no life scans...couldn't find him...just a cape on the cave floor..."

"So he's just gone? Why'd he fall down the hole?" Robin asked, trying to paint a picture of the events.

"Got blasted by xinothium...looked like it hurt too...fell down..."

His voice dropped to a whisper as he asked the inevitable question: "What about Starfire?"

Beast Boy turned away, closing his eyes. He recognized the look: pity. Sadness. "What happened?" he pressed once more.

"Robin, I'm sorry..." was all he said before turning away again.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" he thundered.

Beast Boy's eyes widened in fear as he shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" he sobbed, his head in his hands.

He sighed. He'd been too hard on the younger boy, he knew. He needed to calm down. "Beast Boy, please. I need to know this!" he begged, tears forming beneath his mask.

"She's gone," the changeling said simply.

"Gone?" he repeated numbly.

"Chang took her away...she looked pretty beat up...everything went blurry after that...then something was burning inside of me..." Beast Boy shuddered.

"Where did they take her?" he demanded once more.

Beast Boy sighed. "I don't know, Robin...I don't know."

Dread hit him in the face as he sank onto the couch beside the changeling. He buried his face in his hands as he slowly shook his head back and forth. "How could this happen?" he repeated over and over again as he let a few tears fall. His mask was becoming damp now.

"Robin?"

He looked up. The younger boy was staring at him with something like pure fear in his eyes. "What's going to happen now?"

He sighed. They needed to get back with it. Maybe they could still save Starfire, even if they couldn't save Red X or Cyborg. "We need to see what's wrong with you."

Beast Boy nodded, limping along with Robin to the hospital room. The Boy Wonder took off his own sling; the medicine had already taken effect and it was close enough to being healed. He tied it around Beast Boy's arm and ran some quick diagnostics. There was xinothium in the boy's system. A fatal amount.

"You don't have to tell me. I think I already know anyway," Beast Boy sighed.

He nodded numbly, still trying to take everything in. How could everything have changed so fast? His world was spinning as he tried to make sense of it, but it was hard to keep the tears from escaping. Finally, throwing pride to the wind, he sat down on the bed next to Beast Boy's and took off his mask, turning away and putting his head in his hands.

Then he let the tears fall down his cheeks. The forbidden tears that blazed before unconquered trails down his cheeks practically burned with the unfamiliar territory. His shoulders shook and he could hardly control his breathing. After at least fifteen minutes of this, he composed himself and put the mask back on.

When he turned to face Beast Boy, the younger boy was staring up at him with an expression of pure terror. He'd never seen Robin cry. Ever. And it scared him, no doubt. The Boy Wonder sighed and sat down next to the young Titan.

"We're going to come out on top, right?" Beast Boy asked, his tone almost begging. "We always do."

He didn't answer. He wanted to tell Beast Boy that they'd win, but all optimism he might have had flew out the window with his heart.

"Come on, Robin! We can't lose to Doctor Light!" Beast Boy pressed, tears now falling down his own cheeks.

He sighed, trying to find words to say to comfort him, but nothing came. "I wish I could say that," he said sadly.

The younger boy gasped and recoiled, as if Robin was an infection. "But, we have to win! We're the Teen Titans!" he said, trying to smile.

"Correction: we're Robin and Beast Boy, all that's left of the Titans unless Raven can somehow beat herself in her mind, which I highly doubt, judging by how depressed she sounded," he sighed dejectedly. He wasn't trying to sound depressed; he just was.

"But we can still save Starfire!"

"Yeah, and that's what we're going to focus on," he said, and a fierceness rose in his voice as he continued, "We WILL save her."

Silence followed before Beast Boy spoke up again. "Give me the truth. Is it fatal?"

He looked away. He didn't know how to say this, not to this optimistic clown. He couldn't bring himself to make the young boy any more depressed than he already was.

But Beast Boy could tell from his expression. "It is, isn't it?"

He nodded numbly. "I'm sorry."

Beast Boy nodded, looking away. "I'll help you find Starfire," he promised.

He shook his head. "No, you can't do anything in that condition. I would know," he said, allowing himself a wry grin.

"But we're going to save her, if it's the last thing I do!" Then he added quietly, "And it may very well be..."

He grabbed the younger boy's shoulders. "Beast Boy, I want you to stay here and try to save yourself! You can't do anything right now that requires moving very much! I can move, and that's why I'm going to go alone. You can still save yourself. If worst comes to worst, I want you to go into Raven's mind and get her to heal you if you have to. I'm not losing another member of the team! Not if I can help it!"

Beast Boy recoiled a bit in fear. He'd never seen Robin so...devoid of emotion, so angry. "But-"

"That's my final word, Beast Boy," he said. Sighing dejectedly, he sat down on the bed once more, feeling as if a heavy weight had been placed on his heart.

"It hurts, doesn't it? To lose someone so close to you?" Beast Boy said, finally.

He nodded silently. Of course, Beast Boy would know, what with Terra and everything...

"You'll pull through," Beast Boy offered encouragingly.

He wasn't so sure, though. He didn't think he could handle all this: his feelings, his friends, his past, everything came crashing down on him, and he felt like he was going to be sick.

Suddenly, his communicator rang. With hope rising in his chest, he answered. "Starfire?" he asked, hoping against hope.

No such luck. It was Doctor Light. "Hello, Robin."

He growled. It was a deep growl, and he didn't bother to hide it. Surprisingly, he was suddenly having the same reactions to this idiot as he would have done with Slade. "What do you want? Where's Starfire?" he asked tersely.

Doctor Light laughed, enjoying the feelings of anger he was creating within the Boy Wonder. "She's with me. Actually, she takes to xinothium much better than you did, but we're going to give her another dose. Alien strength or not, she has exactly two hours and thirty minutes and two seconds." The time showed up in glowing red letters on the communicator screen.

His eyes narrowed. "Where are you hiding? I'll be there in a heartbeat!"

Doctor Light laughed. "You're going to come after her? How sweet! If you say you'll come alone, I might show you."

"Not like there's anyone else to bring with me," he growled.

"True, true." Beneath the countdown, a map appeared. "Be here."

His eyes narrowed beneath the mask. "Big mistake, Doctor Light. Nothing can stop me from saving her!"


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I know it's sad, but how can I write a sequel if I don't leave you guys hanging?

Chapter 19

His mind was completely numb as he revved up the engine to the R-cycle. He knew that he couldn't let anything get in the way of his saving Starfire, and he jammed on his biking helmet as he sped off. He was nothing but a blur to any who might have seen as he raced along the streets. No doubt the citizens were surprised to see him up and about after the fiasco earlier.

"Must be a real emergency if he's racing out like that," said one woman as she saw him speed by.

"Must be a real emergency if he's out at all," her companion replied.

He ignored them as best he could as he sped along, determined to reach his destination. Nothing would deter him, nothing. His eyes narrowed as he pulled to a stop in front of a dark building somewhere in the middle of Jump City. He jumped off of his R-cycle and rushed inside. His wounds were starting to slow him down, but he continued to run full-force.

"Surprising speed, Robin," remarked Chang on the face of his communicator.

He didn't respond, but kept running towards the dot. He was getting closer and closer, but then the dot disappeared. As a disappointed cry escaped his throat, he looked up and immediately understood why. There before him was a maze, composed completely of cement. He knew Starfire was at the end, but he couldn't just blast his way through; he recognized the same shield Red X had used on him.

"This is cruel, even for you, Chang," he said as he hit another dead end. An hour left.

"We debated about what to do with the fearless leader for some time. That is, until we watched the news," Chang said smugly.

"What are you talking about?" he growled.

"It's all over the news, Robin, all about how you and the empath broke up so you and this lovely girl could be together," Chang grinned.

"Stop talking," he muttered tersely, about to lose it.

"Getting angry, now, are we?" Chang taunted.

"That's it!" he shouted, flipping the communicator over. With a few movements, he was able to disable the speaker system. No sound from the communicator would bother him now. Now all that he saw was Chang's face trying to talk and the countdown on the screen.

He was getting aggravated now; the walls were getting closer and closer together and there were more and more dead ends, but at least that signified that he was getting near the end. His body couldn't take much more stress, and he leaned against a wall to catch his breath, for his lungs were on fire.

Anger and resentment coursed through his veins as he slammed his fist into the wall, resulting in absolutely nothing except to bring searing pain up his arm. He gasped in pain, but continued onward.

Half an hour left. He was nearing the end of the maze, he knew. At this point, he was on his hands and knees, crawling along and feelings his way around. He was trying not to move too slowly, but if he was not careful and accidentally brushed a wall, a sharp electric jab would be sent to his nervous system and only impede his progress more. As he neared the end of this tunnel, he saw that there was no longer the shadow of cement. He had finally reached the end of this maze!

He sped up as he approached the ending, only to be sent hurtling backwards the moment he stepped out. Of course, he should have known that Doctor Light would be waiting for him. As hatred coursed through his very soul, he assumed a fighting stance, his scowl deeper than he had ever managed, except perhaps with Slade.

"You cannot hope to win!" Doctor Light laughed as he prepared a ball of energy.

He almost laughed maniacally, but that would only scare himself. He needed to keep his head before he lost everything, and he needed to get back quickly before he lost Beast Boy as well. "That's what you think," he muttered darkly, drawing back his cape and reaching into a pocket on his belt. He drew out a small device only about the size of a marble, but when it hit the ground, it exploded on contact, and it actually had an effect on Light's xinothium shield!

"How did you-"

"Like it?" he grinned evily. "What do you think I was doing when I was stuck in the hospital? It was only a small ordeal, really, trying to get a smaller device that packs a bigger punch. All it required was time," he said before throwing another such device.

"AH!" Doctor Light screamed as he was thrown backwards. Each time he tried to fire up an attack, though, he was blasted once more by the small pellets. Finally, all that was left of Doctor Light was a man lying in the remains of a metal suit, unconscious.

"I'll have the authorities drop by," he grinned, then rushed to Starfire's side.

"Ro..Robin!" was all she could manage. He grimaced at the weakness in her voice. He glanced at the communicator screen. Thirty five seconds left. He drew a needle from one of his pockets. Its silver tip glistened with the shine of new equipment and the clear liquid swirled around. The antidote would only postpone the effects, not erase them completely, but it would give him enough time to get her back to the Tower.

As he prepared to make the injection, a red weapon slashed through the air, pinning his arm to the wall as the grinning Chang held the other end. Robin moaned in pain as the xinothium shot up his only good arm and, when the weapon was removed, he fell to the ground, clutching his arm in agony.

"You really thought we'd let you win, didn't you?" Chang sneered.

He scowled in response, bringing himself up to his feet once more. He didn't have time for this. Retrieving the needle, he only hesitated a second before plunging it into her arm. He saw her tense up at this, but then her entire body relaxed...a bit too much. He glanced at the communicator. It was flashing 0:00. No, that wasn't possible! With a cry of anger, he threw six birdarangs at once at Chang, pinning him to a wall.

He was frantic now. Pressing his ear close to her heart, he could hear nothing. No breath escaped her lips, but he couldn't accept that! "Starfire!" he shouted, shaking her.

"She's gone now. I told you it was fatal. It was foolish of you to try and save her," Chang grinned.

"I don't believe you! It's not true!" he sobbed, though miraculously, tears had not fallen yet. He was nearing the edges of insanity; his heart was broken a thousand times over.

"She's gone. Believe me," Chang replied, as if he were just giving Robin the time of day.

"Argh!" He charged at Chang, who broke lose at the last second. The punch missed and hit the wall. He was in really bad shape now; his breathing was irregular and his lungs were on fire, but his eyes and soul were burning with hatred and every particle of his being wanted to destroy the man in front of him.

"You're not going to kill me, Robin," Chang chuckled. "You're far too worried about her."

The tensed muscles in his face relaxed as it dawned on him. Starfire still had a chance to make it, if even the slighest. Though he hated to admit that Chang was right, he had to save her! "Starfire!" He rushed to her side and lifted her into his arms.

The next few minutes were a blur to him as he ran down to his R-cycle. He didn't take in his surroundings, didn't notice the fact that he was bleeding profusely or that his mask was soaked with the tears he had let fall. All that he knew was the same question that was running through his mind: why, why,why? He mounted the R-cycle, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late. He sped off, once more becoming a blur as he raced back to the Tower.

He stumbled inside, finally realizing why his side was hurting so badly. He carried the Tamaranean up to the hospital room and lay her on the bed before binding his own wounds quickly. He ran quick diagnostics, then double checked the information. Then triple checked...again and again, he checked the information, but there was no change. Chang had been right. She really was gone.

He sat down on the bed in disbelief, his head cradled in his hands. "That's not right. How could this happen?"

"_Didn't Red X tell you that this would happen?"_

"Can it." He hated it when his conscience decided to show up. Normally he could ignore the darn thing...

_"You rushed into things. That's what keeps getting you into these messes. First trying to save Raven from Doctor Light and ending up in the xinothium mess..."_

"Not my fault. It would've happened anyway," he grumbled.

_"And then rushing into things with Starfire. Tell the truth; would you be this depressed a few days ago after the episode with Raven?"_

"You don't know that," he growled.

_"I'm just saying, you and your way of jumping right into things. Sooner or later, it's going to get the best of you, and then where will I be?"_

That's what he hated about his conscience: it had a saracastic sense of humor. "Actually, I wouldn't mind if you were gone," he replied inwardly.

The machines beeped, bringing him out of his thoughts. He angrily stormed over to them, throwing a birdarang into one of the screens heavily with his good arm, which wasn't saying much, considering they were both pretty useless at this point.

He sat down on the bed, taking off his mask as he stared into her lifeless eyes. "How could you have left me so soon? We were so happy, and everything was going so well!"

He left the mask there, entering the gym. He needed to vent his anger before he exploded. First, he toyed with the punching bag. As he did so, he imagined that he was landing satisfying blows to Doctor Light and Chang. Like these eyes? he thought. Because they're devoid of emotion because of you! He growled, knocking the equipment off of the wall. It feel to the ground with a satisfying thud, breaking apart.

He felt a bit better, but he still needed to compose himself. Unfortunately, the news media has a habit of showing up at the most inoppurtune times. A knock at the Tower door alerted Robin to a presence, and he rushed to recover his mask and enter the door, thinking that if it was a villain, they'd be in for a nasty greeting.

"Robin, what happened?"

The press? Who let them...? Oh yeah, Cyborg wasn't here anymore to keep them out. He sighed, trying to close the door back in their faces, but it wasn't working. One reporter stuck his foor in the door.

"Care to tell us why you were speeding down the street only a short time after several eye witnesses attest to having seen you in bad condition?" asked one.

"Leave me alone!" he growled.

"What had you in such a hurry?" asked another.

"None of your business!" he shouted, trying to close the door again. No use, the reporters were practically inside now.

"What about the other day? When eye witnesses-"

"Get out of here!" he shouted, his temper flaring.

"How were we able to get inside now, when all other times we haven't been able to get past Cyborg's system?"

"Where are the others?"

"What happened to everyone?"

"Why is your uniform torn?"

"LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" he shouted, throwing a birdarang into one of the cameras.

The reporters backed off a bit, but they continued to press him, one question at a time. "What had you speeding down the street?"

He sighed. "If I answer your questions for ten minutes- and that's ten minutes ONLY- will you leave me alone?"

Ooh, wrong thing to say. The reporters crowded closer to him. "So, tell us, Robin. What really happened?"

He growled ferally, getting them to back off at least a little bit. "I got hurt when we were fighting a villain, and that's all there was to the episode yesterday, alright?"

"But what about-"

"I'm getting there! If you ask any more questions, I'll send you back out. I still don't know why you're even in here. Let's just say I had to leave in a hurry to go get the others, and Cyborg is still out there, alright?"

"Can we speak to anyone else?"

"NO!" he shouted. He took in some calming breaths to calm himself down. "They're not...in a condition to come right now."

"When?"

"Never," he said flatly, causing several reporters to gasp.

"What happened to them?"

He had to struggle to keep his emotions down. "We had...a run-in with a villain of interest."

"Slade?"

A shadow crossed his face as he struggled with his anger. "No, but it might as well have been. The point is, he got away and we got the worst of it."

"When will you have him in jail?"

"I don't know!" he cried, exasperated. "I just know that he's going to pay," he added darkly.

The reporters were shocked as his personality change. "You certainly seem upset," one remarked.

"Yeah, well." He shrugged, hoping they'd leave soon, because his mask was starting to get damp again.

"So, what about you and Raven? Anything to say there?"

"Don't you have anything better to do than butt into my personal life?" he shouted.

"So, you broke up? How are you taking that?"

He sighed in frustration. "We were never together, so we can't break up. Second, leave me alone about my own personal feelings, okay?"

"Does that mean you and Starfire-"

The reporter never got to finish the question, because he was frozen to the spot. As they looked at the Boy Wonder in terror, he gave a heavy sigh. "Interview's over. Leave me alone." Needless to say, they cleared out of there fairly quickly.

As soon as the last one was gone, he trudged back up to the hospital room to talk to Starfire again. He was aware that she couldn't hear him, but it still felt good to talk. He approached her bed, taking his mask off again so that he could talk to her freely as himself as he sat down beside the bed.

"Star, I know you can't hear me, but I wanted to talk to you," he started, choking on the unfamiliar emotion in his voice. "I'm...I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. I tried, I really did! I just couldn't stop Light or Chang, and I'm sorry!"

The mask stayed off for a while, needless to say, as tears poured down his cheeks. Nothing seemed to be enough to comfort him now. Everyone was gone. Everyone.

Finally, after at least an hour, he decided that he needed to compose himself, to try and figure out what to do next. It was hard for him to think clearly now, and he sat down on a nearby table, his chin in his hand. As he rose to pace, a paper fell to the ground beside him. Curious, he bent down to pick it up.

"Robin; I went into Raven's mind like you suggested. I wouldn't have if I could have, but I couldn't find any other way. I did find your antidote thingy that slows it down, so I should be safe long enough to find Raven. I hope you and Starfire made it. -Beast Boy," he read aloud.

He stared at that last line. "I hope you and Starfire made it." Angrily, he wadded the paper up and threw it against the wall. He rushed into the living room in a fit of rage, trying to contain his emotions, but failing. He came to a stop in front of the cake.

The diligent letters, S and R, grinned up at him, unchanged by the recent events. He snarled at them, angry at the memories that the letters brought up. Angrily, he pushed the cake off of the edge of the table, sending it splattering up against the wall. The letters were reduced to red and white smears on the wall.

Groaning, he sank to the floor, his head in his hands as he cried. He didn't understand why he couldn't control himself. It was as if nothing he did was of his own accord! He sighed in frustration, gripping his hair and rocking slowly back and forth, moaning. Why couldn't he get a hold of himself?

He stayed in that position for some time, crying until his throat was sore and the tears were no longer coming. But his heart still felt empty. He crawled uneasily to the refridgerator, hoping that something could fill this void in his heart, if only temporarily. Three sandwhiches, an entire pie, and a few peices of candy disappeared, but he still felt empty.

"How could this happen?" he shouted to no one in particular. The entire Tower was empty, and it wasn't like anyone could hear him. He sank down to the floor again, feeling very hopeless in this matter. He wanted nothing more than to bring his Starfire back, but he couldn't. He wasn't superhuman. Raven could have saved her, but he had driven her away. "It's all my fault!" he moaned as he realized this. "I drove Raven away, I pushed her over the edge. I got myself into the situation with Chang. I pushed Raven, and she broke my arm. It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my faul!" he groaned, returning to his seat on the floor. Eventually, his head began to nod, and he ended up falling asleep with his head in his hands, his knees pulled up beneath his chin, and the fresh trails of tears leaving permanent marks on his cheeks.


	20. Chapter 20

laughs evily Yes, I've been plotting this for some time now. mwahaha. This is the final chapter before the epilogue of Part I, which epilogue I am working on right now. Part II, Unlikely Turn, will be up soon thereafter. Thank you for reading thus far and I hope that you will continue with me into the sequel. I'm glad that my outburst at pairing wars was not offending to anyone. I tend to be neutral in wars, and then when it came up in one of my stories, I kinda lost it.

Discalimer: It hasn't changed.

Chapter 20

His mind was somewhat clearer once he woke up, but he still wasn't exactly in a good state of mind. He needed to find something else to do before he drove himself crazy. Find Red X, that's what he'd do. Surely X wasn't really gone!

He mounted the R-cycle a bit grudgingly, for the seat was still stained with his blood. His mind was an absolute blank, and he was glad for this quick reprieve from emotions as he concentrated solely on the road, not caring that everyone he passed stared at him with a mixture of fear and confusion. He didn't care anymore. And if one more thing happened to him, he feared he would never care again.

He came to a stop at the cavern Beast Boy had described. Hooking a grappling hook to the edge of the precipice, he lowered himself down slowly and carefully, not wanting to meet the same fate as Red X had if what the changeling said was true. Finally, his feet touched the bottom, and he left the rope where it was.

He didn't even know why he was down here. Why was he trying to raise his own hopes when he knew that there was no way Red X could have survived? Was it to prove, beyond a doubt, that he was really alone so that he couldn't hope anymore? Whatever the reason, he trudge through the damp cave until he came to a stop.

There was the black cape, exactly as Beast Boy had said. It had several scorch marks. Had he possessed the strength, he would have started running through the caves in a frantic attempt to find the former criminal, but yesterday's happenings had definitely weakened him, and he instead was forced to sit down beside the cape to catch his breath.

When he touched the cloth, he withdrew his hand quickly in pain. It was coated with xinothium. Any hope of X's survival dropped. If that guy could survive a full-fledged attack with xinothium... He continued on anyway, though he still did not see why.

Finally, after he had explored every inch of the cave, and his lungs were on fire again, all he emerged with was a singed belt. Nothing more. There were no marks on the walls of the caves to suggest that he had climbed out, and the belt's teleportation device was broken. There was no escaping the truth; nothing more remained of Red X.

He climbed grimly up the rope and back to his R-cycle. He was about to continue when his communicator beeped. He sighed. Maybe fighting a good villain would take his mind off of all of this...

Fang rushed out of the jewelry store and into the pink limo in which Kitten was waiting. He held several necklaces and bracelets with his many legs. Kitten squealed at this.

"Fang! They're gorgeous!" she smiled, planting a big kiss on his...mouth?

"I said it once, I'll say it again. You two make a really bad couple," Robin said, dropping down onto the hood of the car. His eyes were narrowed and his face told anyone within a five-mile radius that he was not to be messed with right now.

Unfortunately for Kitten, she wasn't very good at reading that expression. "Robbiepoo!" she screeched teasingly.

He gave a low growl, then took out a few freeze discs. One shattered the glass, and the other froze the girl to her seat. Fang shouted in anger, jumping out of the car to attack Robin. "Leave her alone!"

Robin grinned wryly, assuming a fighting stance and extending his hand. "I'm only going to warn you once: I'm not in a good mood." With that, the Boy Wonder attacked, his hoarse cry echoing in the alley.

Fang ducked the kick and parried with one of his legs, but Robin had anticipated the move. He kicked Fang's human body, and the half-spider thing flew across the street. He got up angrily, shaking the cobwebs out of his head and charging. Robin dodged skillfully, but he was slowing down because of his recent injuries. He threw a freeze disc at Fang, gluing his human legs down to the ground. At the same time, Fang fired the poison from his pinchers. Both were stuck, glaring at each other.

Fang broke free at last. He jumped into the limo and sped off, leaving a very annoyed Robin stuck in the alley.

Now Robin was stuck in the alley by himself, with only his thoughts to keep him company. Which was pretty bad, considering the way his thoughts were going at this point. His arms were extremely tired, and the poison wasn't exactly helping his breathing, but the emotional thoughts were the ones that were bringing him the most pain.

He recalled the last time that this had happened, and how Starfire had... Great, now he was thinking about Starfire, he realized as his heart pained him once more. But the memory was playing in his mind. He was falling, and Starfire had caught him, taking him back with her to the Tower and helping him to regain movement in his limbs. Then he remembered the date with Kitten, and winced inwardly. That was certainly one of the more unpleasant experiences to relive.

His thouughts drifted to the dance. The time of his life, he thought, remembering when he and Starfire had danced on that ship after being dubbed the King and Queen of the prom. What he wouldn't give to dance with her again! What he wouldn't give to hold her in his arms again! He caught himself, for he was starting to cry.

The poison was starting to wear off, but his emotions weren't quite done with him. Now he was reliving that night on the alien planet, back when he had almost confessed his feelings to Starfire. This was where he started to get angry at himself. If he had just done it back then, he wouldn't have been having the problem of whether or not he had feelings for Raven as well, and then he wouldn't have gotten himself into the mess he was in. Maybe then he could have saved Starfire!

He was so busy being mad at himself that he almost didn't notice that the poison had worn off. He fell forward, catching himself right before he hit the ground. Glad to be free, he hopped onto his R-cycle, trying to clear his mind of emotions as he rushed back to the Tower. He needed to talk to someone, he knew, but who?

He sighed, pausing in front of the door of the room. He shouldn't go inside, he knew, but he needed to talk before he went crazy, and he would be sure to leave if he had too. Gathering his thoughts, he forced himself to open the door and step inside.

He was really surprised at the scene before him. Raven's room was a mess! Bookshelves were knocked over, random objects littered the ground, and a small mirror crunched as he stepped on it. He pulled back, a bit surprised at the state of things. Raven had been really mad at him, hadn't she? He sighed. Maybe if he hadn't been around, Raven wouldn't be in this mess.

"Raven? I need to talk to someone, and I can't make myself go back to Starfire's room, so...well, here I am. If you can hear me, I understand if you kick me out, but if you can't, that's okay. I just need to talk about something," he started, feeling a bit ackward.

The machines hooked up to the empath beeped as if in response, and he looked up at her calm face. She was in such danger, and yet her expression remained impassive. He admired that about her.

"Alright, I guess I'm safe," he sighed, blowing out his breath and wondering where to start. "First of all, I know you can't hear me, but I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. If I hadn't gotten your hopes up, maybe you wouldn't be in this condition. I'm sorry for tearing down your hopes after building them up. I should never have tried to talk to you about my feelings for you when I wasn't even sure myself. And I need to tell you: that kiss was really confusing to me. You're right, I can't tell you that I didn't enjoy it, but I also can't tell you that I don't love Starfire. You confused me, Raven!"

He sighed, gathering his thoughts. It wasn't good to dwell on one thing too long. "Listen, Cyborg's gone, and so is Red X. Beast Boy is in there with you, so you probably already know this, but what you don't know it that..." He trailed off. He knew he needed to tell someone, but how exactly he was going to say it was a mystery to him. "Well...Starfire...she..."

He exploded into tears. He couldn't hold them in, his emotions were too powerful. He was overcome, and he just sat there, crying, for several minutes before he was able to compose himself again. He was surprised at how easily his tears were coming now. He hadn't cried this much since his parents had died. "Well, Starfire...she's gone. Chang gave her an overdose of xinothium."

His eyes narrowed with hatred as he continued. "I had Chang right there! I could have destroyed him, but I didn't, because I was too worried about Star! And now Doctor Light and Chang are still out there, no doubt headed for the Titans East to tear them apart too. I know I need to stop them, but I can't! I'm too emotionally and physicall out of it to do much of anything anymore!" There, he'd admitted it; he was weak now, and he knew it.

She remained unmoving, though he thought he saw a flicker of movement in her eyes. He was right. Suddenly, she seemed to have lost her concentration, and she fell to the ground, though she remained in her trance-like state. She was now sitting on the ground, instead of hovering in the air. He was surprised at the sudden change in her behavior, and he rushed to the machines to check on her.

They were beeping like crazy, and the information he was getting was telling her that she was slipping. "NO!" he shouted, resisting the urge to punch through the screens in front of him. "I can't lose Beast Boy and Raven too!" he shouted at no one in particular.

Raven's eyes were still tightly closed, but she was wincing in pain, and her legs were tucked up beneath her chin as she groaned. He wanted to help her, but she was fighting herself and he could do nothing.

Even as he watched, the machine showed a flat line, which he stared at with disbelieving eyes. No, that's not possible! "Not Raven too!" he shouted, kicking the broken mirror across the room and finding small satisfaction at watching it break apart.

He stormed out of the room in a rage fit to beat Trigon. Angrily, he overturned the couch, screaming with agony as he doubled over to his knees, holding his head as he tried to make sense of the world. Why was everything happening to him? Was he not supposed to be happy? Was that it? He screamed, rolling over and holding his head.

Finally, after an hour of such activities, he tore off his mask and returned to his room. He opened his closet and stared at the uniforms, so clean and crisp. Rage filled his heart. He was mad, mad at being Robin and still not being able to stop any of this from happening. He tore the uniforms off of their hangers, wanting nothing more than to see them leave.

He couldn't be Robin anymore and remain sane, but he couldn't be Dick Grayson and allow himself to open his heart up to even more emotions! That was the solution: not to feel anymore! But how was he going to do that?

His eyes fell on the picture of himself and Starfire, then drifted along the wall of pictures. Himself and Cyborg...Raven's hand (the girl wouldn't pose for a picture, Starfire had complained)...himself and Starfire...Beast Boy and Terra... His heart sank as he remembered those days, back when everything had been perfect...

He needed to take a walk. He knew now what he was going to do.

He walked into the old, abandoned lair. So many memories lay, buried in this forbidding place. He remembered being led by Slade to this place, then having been forced to be his apprentice. Surprisingly, these memories didn't seem so sad to him anymore. They were nothing compared to the emotional torment he was enduring now.

He stepped on something. A broken birdarang. His eyes clouded over with tears as he remembered what had happened. The first time he'd ever felt one of Starfire's starbolts full blast. Not pleasant. He wished he could just start over from when they met.

But he couldn't change what had happened, he knew, and he continued to walk forward. He was hoping to find something here, but it didn't seem to be working. After hours of wandering around, he finally turned back to the exit. He had hoped...

He entered the Tower, still depressed and broken. He had hoped that he would find... But he hadn't, and for now he should heal himself if he was going to go through with his plan anyway. He entered his room, stepping over the discarded uniforms as he did so. He was a shell, completely empty.

He didn't ever reach the bed. He passed out. There was nothing left for him, he felt.


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry the epilogue is so short, but I couldn't really add that much for fear of messing up the surprise. The prologue to the sequel is also somewhat short, so look for new posts soon. Again, thanks for all those who have been reading.

As for Robin, well he's kinda...lost it...

Disclaimer: If this ever changes, let me know, okay?

Epilogue

This time he would get what he wanted, he was sure. Beast Boy had told him about this place, back when he was still around. It was an abandoned theme park. His heart was an empty shell as he thought about what had taken place here, and he knew that this was a perfect mirror image of his feelings.

He sat down on the bench, waiting for what he wanted to happen. He knew that this was the best way...

"You don't have to do this, you know."

Darn conscience. "Yes I do," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"It wasn't your fault. You can't change what happened, and there was nothing you could do!"

"It was my fault. I pushed Raven over, and I got myself hurt. I don't deserve to live," he sighed dejectedly.

"But you don't deserve to die!"

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"You...agree with me?"

"Yeah. Dying would be too quick, and then I'd have to face Starfire and tell her it was my fault. THIS is a much better way," he said, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"You don't mean-"

"Yep. From now on, you can stop bothering me, alright?" he sighed.

He waited on the cold bench once more. Still nothing happened. He sighed. Did he have to go and find...? Oh well, whatever works best. He rose slowly, as if a heavy burden had been placed on him, and he walked over through the park. A destroyed ferris wheel...a demolished ride...and finally, a hall of mirrors.

He was surprised at how completely destroyed these mirrors were. Beast Boy had been angrier than ever, it seemed. Poor kid. But there was no room in his heart for any more sadness, so he kept walking.

He stopped in front of a mirror, staring back at his reflection. He wasn't himself anymore, he knew. The broken reflection practically screamed that particular fact at him. He sighed, kicking a stone and planting himself down on the ground, holding his head in his hands.

"Having life troubles, Robin?" asked a voice that was all too familiar.

Don't rise. Don't let him know what you're thinking, he told himself. He just stared down at the broken glass. "You have no idea," he sighed.

There was silence. "That's it?" the voice finally said. "No 'what do you care' or 'leave me alone'?"

He rose slowly and turned to face the shadow. He spoke slowly, not wanting to fumble his words. "You're going to love this one," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

"Try me."

He smiled, an empty, almost haunting smile. His face was pale after weeks of trying to treat himself and battling his emotions. After all, he'd never actually brought himself to go anywhere near Starfire or Raven... "How'd you like to make a deal?"

Oh, the smile that was hidden there was so obvious! The man tilted his head to the side. "What kind of deal?"

Robin allowed himself a slight smile. Everything was going well so far. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but how would you like to have your old apprentice back?"

Silence. For a moment, Robin wondered if the villain was going to respond at all, but then he spoke up. "And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but what's the catch?"

Robin laughed. A crazed, unemotional laugh. Slade had to admit, the boy was close to losing it. "Catch? You want a catch? Alright. If Starfire somehow comes back and doesn't hate me, then the deal's off. What more do you want?"

Slade nodded. He understood what was going on. "She's gone, isn't she?"

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to accept my generous offer or not, because the whole reason I even decided to do this was so I didn't have to think about that," he said.

Slade extended his hand. "Alright, it's a deal."

robbiepoo


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